• A Columbia man has been sentenced to prison for a road rage attack involving a teen with a learner’s permit. Prosecutors say Nathan Griffin, 34, chased a 15-year-old and his father off Grindstone Pkwy. in May 2024, followed them into a parking lot, drove toward the father and fired six shots but missed. Police linked Griffin to the case through a separate road rage incident a week earlier. He pleaded guilty to first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful exhibition of a weapon. He was sentenced him to 15 years.
• A Columbia teen has been charged with second-degree murder for a May shooting just outside the city. Prosecutors say Anthony K. Marine, 17, shot a person identified as Z.N. during a meet-up where two youths planned to fight. A probable cause statement says Marine admitted firing the shot and hiding the gun before running from the scene. Authorities say video also shows Marine firing at the victim, who died at the scene.
• The Lake Ozark Board of Aldermen on Wednesday approved an agreement with the Osage Nation to support a new entertainment district anchored by an Osage Casinos development. The deal outlines payments from the Nation including 2.5% of adjusted gross gaming receipts, a 1% resort fee on hotel rooms, $100,000 a year for police services, and full water and sewer rates. The Nation will also fund a new turn lane on Bagnell Dam Boulevard. Mayor David Ridgely called the partnership “a defining moment” that will bring jobs, tourism and long-term investment. The project, located at 3501 Bagnell Dam Blvd., is expected to be built in phases with an estimated cost of $60 million.
• The Columbia Police Officers’ Association is asking the Citizens Police Review Board to remove member Stephanie Yoakum over social media comments that appeared to criticize CPOA President and police Sgt. Matthew Nichols. A letter from the CPOA’s attorney claims Yoakum’s posts violated a civilian-oversight ethics code and could imply access to confidential information. Yoakum, the board’s Human Rights Commission representative, rejected the allegation in a written response, calling the request an attempt to silence personal speech and intimidate oversight members. CPRB member Doug Hunt advised the board to take no action, saying the claim does not meet the ordinance’s requirement of a “persistent failure” to perform duties.
• A Columbia man accused of killing a three-year-old boy in 2023 is now set for trial. A judge scheduled Larry Brownlee, 31, for a jury trial beginning April 7. Brownlee is charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm. Prosecutors say he was agitated and under the influence of narcotics at a home on Leeway Drive when a gunshot was heard and the child collapsed with a stomach wound. A rifle was later found in bushes across the street. The boy died after Brownlee and the mother crashed while trying to reach a fire station.
• A man from Columbia has taken a plea deal in a 2023 shooting on Dove Drive that left Deshon Houston dead. Damarkus Williams, 20, received a 10-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree conspiracy to commit murder. Prosecutors say Williams drove one of the vehicles involved as several men opened fire on Houston. Six of the seven suspects have now pleaded guilty. Williams must serve 85% of his sentence and will receive credit for time served.
• Mostly clear tonight. Low temperatures down to 52. Mostly sunny and 76 on Friday.
• Recent obituaries are here.