Funeral held for Iowa trooper killed in NE Iowa crash

WAUKON, Iowa (AP) – Hundreds of people and law enforcement officers filled the Waukon High School gymnasium on Wednesday for the funeral of an Iowa State Patrol trooper who died from injuries he received in a car crash in the line of duty.

Trooper Ted Benda was hurt Oct. 14 in a single-vehicle crash while en route to help the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office with a wanted suspect. He died in a La Crosse, Wisconsin, hospital from those injuries on Oct. 20.

The 37-year-old Benda joined the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation in 2005 and transferred to the state patrol in 2016. He is survived by his wife, Holly, and their four children. A private burial will be held following the funeral.

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