Columbia Police Department

CPD: second motorist now dead after last week’s head-on collision on Stadium Boulevard

October 4, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

Columbia Police say a second motorist has now died from injuries sustained in a horrific September 26 head-on collision on Stadium Boulevard, near West Boulevard.

CPD investigators say 48-year-old Jesus Mendoza-Chavez had been hospitalized in critical condition after the crash, which happened at about 11:10 last Tuesday night. Mr. Mendoza-Chavez has now passed away. Columbia Police say he was driving a GMC Sierra that crossed the center line and struck a second vehicle head-on.

The crash also killed the other driver, 64-year-old John Searle of Columbia. CPD says its investigation into the deadly crash is ongoing.

Weekend Columbia crash kills motorcyclist

July 10, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

A mid-Missouri motorcyclist has been killed in a weekend collision on St. Charles road in east Columbia.

The Columbia Police Department identifies the victim as 48-year-old Cory Peterson of Paris, Missouri. Paris is located in Monroe County, east of Moberly.

CPD’s Facebook post says Saturday afternoon’s crash happened at about 3:50 on St. Charles near Richland road. There is a big curve near that location. Investigators say Mr. Peterson was driving his motorcycle southbound on St. Charles road near Richland when he apparently failed to negotiate a corner and crashed into a vehicle that was traveling northbound.

Peterson, who was wearing a helmet, was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

CPD’s investigation is continuing.

(AUDIO): Seewood praises CPD and Chief Jones; says Columbia remains safe

July 5, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri Governor Mike Parson and Columbia Police Chief Geoff Jones (right) discuss police recruitment and retention on April 25, 2022 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Twitter page)

While Columbia has seen several recent high-profile murders, city manager De’Carlon Seewood says our community is a safe one. He tells 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable” that Columbia has a great police department.

“When you look at our ability to deal with, when we do have those unfortunate incidents where we have a homicide, our clearance rate is phenomenal,” Seewood says.

Seewood tells listeners that CPD officers “work their tails off” to provide top-notch service to Columbia.

City manager Seewood has high praise for outgoing Police chief Geoff Jones, who will retire this summer, after more than 24 years with CPD. Seewood says Chief Jones will be difficult to replace.

“We have a chief who really believed in the community, who took ownership of what was being done. And you know he worked hard. And he carried his heart for the community on his sleeve,” says Seewood.

Chief Jones will retire on August 1.

“It’s going to be hard to find someone who does that who actually wants to be part of the community, wants to make sure that as operations are occurring that it has that community mindset,” Seewood says.

You can listen to Fred Parry’s full interview with city manager Seewood here.

(AUDIO): Columbia’s mayor pushes back against Minchew’s council comments about public safety

June 28, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe (2022 photo courtesy of city of Columbia’s website)

A former Columbia mayoral candidate wants the city council to publicly recognize the danger that CPD officers put themselves in each day.

Businessman Randy Minchew spoke from the podium at last week’s council meeting. He called on those in power “to respond appropriately and not make public statements about city employees before the facts are known about high-profile issues.” Mayor Barbara Buffaloe is pushing back on the comments, telling 939 the Eagle that the majority of Columbia’s city council supports CPD.

“When we had the comments about the incident that we had the video surrounding the incident at Harpo’s, council commented like asking the public to give us pause. Give us the patience to have the process followed. And obviously you know if we saw was what we saw, we don’t encourage you know bad behavior, but we obviously support our good cops, our police department. And right now you have a council that supports and asks questions. But at the end of the day, the majority of us support (the) Columbia Police Department,” Mayor Buffaloe says.

Mr. Minchew is calling on the city council to give CPD and the Columbia Fire Department the tools, equipment and manpower they need to keep the city safe. He says their silence about public safety is, quote, “deafening.” Mayor Buffaloe disagrees.

“That’s not what I’ve heard or what I’ve seen in both the council’s voting as well as the public statements that we’ve put out there acknowledging when we had that shootout at the (Forest Village) apartments after we lost Art’s wife (Janet Jago). You know, the comments about thanking our police department for going out there and putting up with gunfire was there,” says Buffaloe.

Mayor Buffaloe is referring to the May robbery and murder of 72-year-old Janet Jago in the Highlands, and the subsequent standoff at Forest Village apartments. Columbia Police say murder suspect Jermaine Montez Burnett apparently shot and killed himself during the standoff. Police say Burnett fired at them and that they returned fire that day. Ms. Jago was married to Art Jago, a retired Mizzou professor.

While Minchew won several wards in Columbia’s April 2022 mayoral election, Barbara Buffaloe beat him citywide by about 800 votes. The fourth ward provided her margin of victory.

CPD: No arrests yet in Columbia’s Dove street homicide

June 28, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri State Highway Patrol, Boone County Sheriff’s Department and Jefferson City Police are assisting Columbia Police with Monday’s homicide investigation on Dove drive.

That’s north of Blue Ridge road, near fire station nine. The murder happened in broad daylight, at about 4:30 pm. Columbia Police investigators have identified the homicide victim as 33-year-old Deshon Joseph Houston of Columbia. He suffered a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.

CPD investigators have identified a suspect vehicle, which was found crashed into a tree just after the homicide. Multiple witnesses tell Columbia Police that four black males left the crash scene and were later seen trying to flag down vehicles near I-70 Drive Northwest. CPD believes those four individuals are armed and dangerous.

Columbia Police spokesman Christian Tabak tells 939 the Eagle that CPD is continuing their investigation and search for suspects. Anyone with information should call Columbia Crimestoppers at (573) 875-TIPS.