Longtime southwest Iowa lawman dies

A former longtime lawman in Ringgold County has died. Sixty-seven-year-old Robert Bennett, who served as a lawman for 27 years before retiring last fall, died of an apparent heart attack Tuesday morning while driving his truck in Mount Ayr. Bennett first served 10 years as a reserve, then 12 years as Chief Deputy. Then, following the retirement of Lyle Minnick in 1999, Bennett served five years as the Ringgold County sheriff, up through last December. His successor in the sheriff’s office in January was his grandson, MIke Sobotka. Bennett had the honor of swearing his grandson into office.