By AP/KWMU
Newburg, MO – Hundreds of police officers from as far away as Minnesota were in the small town of Newburg in central Missouri on Sunday for the funeral of a state trooper who died last week.
Michael Newton, 25, had just pulled over a car along Interstate 70 near Higginsville in Lafayette County.
Newton had stopped a motorist for a traffic violation and the two of them were sitting in his patrol car when it was struck from behind by a pick-up truck pulling a trailer.
The squad car burst into flames and the trooper was burned to death. Passersby managed to pull the other man out through the window of the burning car.
The service was held at the high school in Newburg; Gov. Holden was among the speakers. Fellow trooper Chad Flanigan said Newton made the ultimate sacrifice while doing his job, and that other troopers look on him as a hero.