Hundreds lined the highway into Independence yesterday as the hearse carrying the body of 51-year-old Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Jim Smith passed by. Smith was shot to death late Friday night during a stand-off with a Grundy Center man.  Iowa Public Safety Commissioner Stephen Bayens says Smith died a hero.

The Des Moines Register reports Michael Lang had recently been cited for trespassing at a Grundy Center bar where he had been banned due to belligerent behavior. Court records show he was charged with third offense-drunk driving in 2009, a felony. Lang unsuccessfully ran for sheriff as a Democrat in 2020.