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A Centralia man is behind bars and charged for molesting a child and selling her drugs near a school.Court documents state 20-year-old Jacob Van Gilder was selling marijuana to a 14-year-old girl at his home in Centralia. He is also accused of having sexual contact with her there.Centralia police say they began to interview Van

A growing city population and new schools is causing the Columbia Public Schools administration to look for better ways to operate the district, which could mean changing school starts.The district emailed a survey to parents asking for feedback on the topic Tuesday evening. Some parents are not thrilled about different starting times, but district officials

Whether you’re traveling for the holidays or staying close to home, emergency crews urge drivers to get vehicles ready.The first and easiest thing people can do is check their tires for safety. Using the penny trick people can see if their tread is worn out by how much of the penny is visible. “You always

*********Thursday Late-Morning Update********Snow will continue to spread across Mid-Missouri with strong northwest winds. Gusts may be as high as 45-50 mph. Snowfall amounts will range from 1 to 3 inches. Blowing snow will reduce visibilities to less than a mile as the snow falls. Snow will end from west to east between noon to 4pm.

Callaway County Sheriff’s deputies are searching for a fugitive who they believe may be armed.Deputies say Joseph B. Wyatt, 24, of Auxvasse was a passenger in a vehicle that crashed on Highway 54 around 12:30 a.m. Thursday. Wyatt apparently fled the scene before deputies and troopers arrived at the scene.According to officials, Wyatt then posted

The City of Columbia has announced ways for residents to safely dispose of and recycle Christmas trees.Residents can place trees on the curbs for normal trash pickup between December 26th and January 31st. The city says trees do not need to be into four-foot segments and does not need to be stripped of decorations. However,

***UPDATE 11 A.M.***Columbia Power and Light confirms that this morning’s large power outage in the city was caused by two overhead electrical lines coming into contact with each other. A spokesperson says 450 customers were affected, but power has been restored.The utility company is now dealing with six to eight other smaller outages. Crews are

***UPDATE 6:07 P.M.***Several roads around Mid-Missouri were shut down for hours at a time for weather and crashes. ABC 17 News called several counties and learned many experienced the problem. But even the counties that didn’t have any confirmed crashes had several calls for slide offs.As the snow continued to fall and gathered on the

The Columbia community came together to answer a young teenager’s wish.Jodie Bappe, 15, who goes to West Jr. High, created a website to collect donations to help pay for her parents’ hospital bills.A nurse at Boone Hospital gathered about 60 people to light candles and carol outside of the Bappe’s home in freezing temperatures Thursday

Columbia Public Schools leaders are taking extra safety precautions on Friday, December 21st due to safety concerns.In a letter sent out to students and parents, the district is hoping to discourage the spread of rumors of a “possible planned violent act” at one of the district’s high schools. The letter states a rumor is being

Dropping temperatures could lead to more slick roads through the night and into the morning commute. While the more traveled roads such at I-70 and Highways 63 and 54 were fairly clear by 10:30 p.m., streets in neighborhoods were pretty icy at the same time.Even with crews out plowing and salting roads overnight, the elements

As ABC 17 News reported earlier this week, F&F Development has purchased Jefferson City’s Capital Mall from General Growth Properties..The owners, Mike and Kirk Farmer, are part of F&F Development and explained what general ideas they have in mind for the property.”We are excited about this opportunity to bring good changes to the mall,” partial

***UPDATE FRIDAY 4:51 P.M.***Columbia Fire Captain John Metz briefed ABC 17 News Friday evening on the ongoing investigation into the fire at Sound Performance overnight. Metz said that in addition to the total destruction of the business and building, seven vehicles inside the building were also destroyed in the fire. The building has been turned

***UPDATE, 9:04 A.M.***Police say the suspect left the store on foot headed in a southeasterly direction, then got into a vehicle and left the area.Investigators say the suspect is a Hispanic male, 5’5″, 140 lbs., bushy eyebrows, black ski mask, dark colored handkerchief, grey long sleeve shirt, dark grey pants and light colored shoes.***ORIGINAL STORY***Columbia

Slick roads played a role in a deadly crash in Gasconade County.The accident happened Thursday night on Highway 28, just west of Baker Road.Troopers say Alanna Perlman, 49, of Rosebud lost control on the slick roadway crossed the center line and was hit by another car.Both Perlman and her passenger Seth Thornton, 19, of Owensville

The Missouri Tigers are stepping their game up in the SEC, by paying up.After being promoted earlier this week, Mizzou Football’s new Offensive Coordinator Josh Henson will be paid $500,000 dollars, while new Quarterbacks Coach Andy Hill will be paid $307,500. With the raises, Henson will be right in the middle of in terms of

***UPDATE SUNDAY 9:50 P.M.***As of Sunday night there had been more than 35 crashes, 13 people seriously hurt and two deaths since the holiday counting period started Friday night.Although the traffic was packed on Missouri roads over the weekend Highway Patrol Troopers are concerned for the days ahead.When ABC 17 News asked Tropper Matt Halford

We are watching an arctic air mass that will be sliding south into the region for the first part of the Christmas week. Forecast models continue to show a more southern track for a storm system forming in the Gulf Coast states. As this storm and the arctic air collide, measurable snow will be possible

Two Callaway County teenagers are in trouble after allegedly breaking into a church in Steedman. The pair got into Reform Baptist Church through a back window and vandalized the church, according to the Callaway County Sheriff’s Department.The two juveniles, whose names will not be released as standard procedure, were arrested Friday and released a day

A Latham man behind bars for gun violations is now accused of molesting a child.Dean Smith, 29, was sent to the Moberly Correctional Center for unlawful possession of a firearm. He now faces charges for molesting a 9-year-old girl for more than a year.The Moniteau County prosecutor Shayne Healea prosecutor tells ABC 17 News there