Trial of ISP trooper killed during Grundy Center standoff in April,2021 will be held in Hamilton County.

The trial of the man accused of killing an Iowa State Patrol trooper in a standoff in Grundy Center last year will be held this spring in Hamilton County. 42 year old Michael Lang is accused of shooting Sgt. Jim Smith in Lang’s Grundy Center home in a confrontation on April 9,2021. Lang who himself was shot several times after police used an armored vehicle to breach his residence is charged with murder, attempted murder and assaulting a police officer. Prosecutors did not oppose a defense request in January to move Lang’s trial out of Grundy County due to extensive media coverage and public interest in the case. This week, District Judge Joel Dalrymple set May 9 as the date for the trial to begin in Hamilton County District Court in Webster City. Smith was a 27 year member of the Iowa State Patrol when he died of his wounds.