Becker has had several brushes with the law in the last five years, including a fine for underage possession of alcohol in 2004, a drunken driving conviction in 2005 and a fine and conviction earlier this year for possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal mischief and assault causing bodily injury.

“More or less, he got with the wrong crowd and kind of fell,” said Taylor Schrage, who graduated from Aplington-Parkersburg High School in 2003, a year before Becker.

The Becker and Thomas families both attended the First Congregational Church, and one of Thomas’ sons, Todd Thomas, said Thursday his father and other church members tried to counsel Becker. He declined to specify how his father tried to help Becker but said the shooting hasn’t changed the Thomas family’s view of the Beckers.

“Mark is a very good person,” Thomas said. “The whole family are good people.”

Things seemed to escalate Saturday night with the high-speed chase, when sheriff’s deputies arrested Becker and took him to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, police said.

He was released Tuesday without police being notified, and spent the night at his parents’ place before confronting his former coach the following morning, authorities said.

Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo said in a statement Thursday that its staff was not asked to notify authorities before releasing Becker.

Butler County Sheriff Jason Johnson said in a statement that the county’s “Central Point Coordinator of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities” was informed of Becker’s situation and was asked to contact the sheriff if Becker was to be released. A central point coordinator is responsible for the administration and funding of mental health services in the county. It wasn’t clear who that person is in Butler County and messages left for county officials were not immediately returned.

Thomas’ funeral is planned for Monday morning at First Congregational Church.

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