Columbia police are looking to send more gun-related cases to federal prosecutors as a way to deter violent crime. The department says federal cases can carry mandatory prison sentences that may be longer than penalties under state law. The approach follows a series of shootings and gun-related arrests in Columbia. Police say they want to…
A woman died Tuesday morning after falling approximately 50 feet from a cliff at Pinnacles Youth Park in northern Boone County. The Boone County Sheriff’s Office says the woman was with another person when the fall happened. A witness also saw the incident. Emergency crews responded around 10:15 Tuesday morning. The woman’s body was recovered…
Columbia Public Schools is considering a major bond issue to pay for building repairs and renovations across the district. A finance committee has recommended a plan that would put a 260-million-dollar bond proposal before voters in April 2027, followed by another 110-million-dollar issue in 2033. The district’s facilities plan identifies about 485 million dollars in…
A new trial date has been set for a Columbia-area woman accused in the deaths of nearly 30 dogs at a breeding and boarding facility. Melissa Sanders is now scheduled to stand trial April 26 in Boone County Circuit Court. The five-day trial has been postponed twice, with her attorney telling the judge Monday that…
The Columbia City Council has voted five-to-two to stop automatic renewal of its contract with Flock Safety, the company providing the city’s license-plate reader and surveillance cameras. The decision followed a public hearing Monday night, where dozens of residents spoke, with most opposing the system. The vote does not immediately turn off the cameras. The…
Boone County court officials are warning residents about a scam targeting relatives and friends of people held in the county jail. Callers impersonate court or law-enforcement personnel and claim they can arrange house arrest or electronic monitoring in exchange for an upfront payment. Court officials say they never solicit payments by phone and do not…
A 19-year-old Illinois man is facing charges following a shots-fired incident at a Columbia apartment complex. LaDavis Vernon Green was charged Monday with unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action. Court documents say Green fired four shots in the parking lot of the Columbia Square and Claudell Homes apartment complex on Claudell Lane…
A certification hearing is scheduled for today in the case of a 15-year-old boy accused of shooting another juvenile in east Columbia. The August 25 shooting on Canaveral Road left the victim critically injured. A Boone County judge will determine whether the teenager’s case remains in juvenile court or is transferred to the adult court…
A pretrial conference is scheduled for today in the case against Randall Russell Fox, whose jury trial was recently postponed. Fox’s four-day trial had been scheduled to begin August 18, but was delayed after two crime scene investigators were unavailable to testify and the state provided additional evidence requiring further investigation. Fox agreed to the…
A Boone County dog breeder accused of animal abuse is scheduled to appear in court today for a status hearing after her trial was postponed. Twenty-six-year-old Melissa Sanders faces 13 counts of animal abuse after authorities found dozens of dead and malnourished dogs on her property in November 2025. A judge previously granted a defense…
A Boone County grand jury has indicted a 19-year-old Columbia man on charges connected to a carjacking and multiple burglaries. Ja’Marion Dalton was indicted Friday on charges of vehicle hijacking, armed criminal action, stealing, six counts of burglary and unlawfully entering motor vehicles. Dalton and another 19-year-old were arrested in September. Investigators previously recovered an…
One person is under arrest after a barricade situation Sunday evening in northwest Columbia. Police say the situation in the 1000 block of Claudell Lane was connected to an earlier shots-fired incident in the same area. Multiple shots damaged three residences and two vehicles Sunday morning. No one was shot or injured. Officers later served…
A nine-month-old Columbia boy has been found safe after going missing Saturday evening. Police say Zayden Scruggs disappeared from a home in the 700 block of Claudell Lane. After officers issued a public safety alert, someone known to the child returned him to the residence. Zayden was unharmed. Thirty-two-year-old Lillian Scruggs of Columbia was arrested…
Columbia police say eight people have been arrested in connection with the Halloween weekend shooting in downtown Columbia that left a 36-year-old woman seriously injured. Police say nearly 30 shots were fired and 11 firearms were recovered during the investigation. The arrests include seven men and a 16-year-old boy. Two of the men, 21-year-old Detravion…
An 18-year-old Columbia man is facing charges in connection with a series of thefts, including the theft of a gun allegedly used in a January homicide. Kayden Brandkamp was charged Friday with four counts of stealing and one count of tampering with evidence. Court documents allege Brandkamp provided the gun used by Mikel Jones to…
