KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland, including Liberty. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.
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Liberty Utilities will pay the maximum civil penalty of $30,000 in the April 2025 explosion that killed 5-year-old Alistair Lamb and injured his father and sister in Lexington, Missouri.
Attorney General Catherine Hanaway's office said the penalty is not intended to serve as restitution for the family.
RELATED | Lexington community still healing 1 year after deadly gas explosion
The AG’s office says Liberty Utilities violated the Missouri Underground Facility Safety and Damage Prevention Act and failed to properly mark a gas line in Lexington.
According to the AG’s office, Liberty Utilities “falsely told an excavator that all its gas pipelines had been properly marked.” The contractor began excavation and struck an unmarked gas main, leading to natural gas leaking for hours before the explosion.
LINK | Read the National Transportation Safety Board's full report into the pipeline explosion
The consent judgment, filed in the Circuit Court of Lafayette County, also requires the company to remap all underground facilities it owns or operates within Lexington, Missouri.
It further requires Liberty Utilities to comply with the Missouri Underground Facility Safety and Damage Prevention Act for all future activities in the state.
“No enforcement action or monetary penalty can undo the heartbreak of losing a child and a home, but it can drive change,” said Attorney General Hanaway. “Missourians deserve to trust that the utilities serving them will do so responsibly. My office is committed to enforcing accountability and safety improvements on behalf of ratepayers.”
According to the AG’s office, Missouri’s Underground Facility Safety and Damage Prevention Act requires utility companies to respond to “locate” requests and mark the location of underground facilities within two working days.
The office says Liberty responded and dispatched a locator to mark facilities — but the markings were incorrect due to a mapping error.
More leaks after the explosion
Months after the explosion, in September 2025, two gas leaks occurred within a 24-hour period, prompting evacuations.
Following that, the mayor and City Administrator filed a complaint with the Missouri Attorney General.
On Thursday, City Administrator Shawnna Funderburk said they have not received a response from the Attorney General's Office regarding the complaint filed last fall.
In November, Lexington passed a new ordinance, establishing rules for digging and boring.
Around the same time, Liberty Utilities initiated a mapping and verification of all underground gas lines within the city limits. The utility company says it partnered with Magnolia River to use GPS locating equipment, potholing, and hydro-vac excavation to update its digital mapping system.
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