The Latest: Judge weighs injuries to Bergdahl’s comrades

FORT BRAGG, N.C. – The Latest on pretrial hearings for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl (all times local):

3:30 p.m.

A military judge overseeing the court martial of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has ruled that he will not allow any evidence of soldiers being wounded while searching for him.

Prosecutors say Bergdahl triggered dangerous search missions by walking off his post in Afghanistan in 2009. One soldier was shot in the head and suffered a traumatic brain injury, and another required hand surgery on a particular search mission.

But Bergdahl’s defence said many other factors having little or nothing to do with Bergdahl also were involved in that mission.

Before Army Col. Jeffery Nance ruled to disallow the evidence, the judge said “Sgt. Bergdahl is not responsible for a never-ending chain of events.”

Nance said that evidence of horrific injuries could unfairly prejudice jurors, and that prosecutors have other evidence they can use to show endangerment.

Bergdahl’s military trial is scheduled for April 2017

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11 a.m.

A military judge weighing evidence of injuries to two servicemen who searched for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl says the soldier bears some responsibility for triggering dangerous search missions after he walked off his post.

But the judge, Army Col. Jeffery Nance, said at a pretrial hearing Friday that he still hasn’t decided how far he’ll let prosecutors go, if at all, in using this evidence. One soldier was shot in the head and suffered a traumatic brain injury; the other required hand surgery.

One of the prosecutors, Army Maj. Justin Oshana, argued that the soldiers’ injuries go to the heart of the accusation that Bergdahl endangered comrades by walking off his post in 2009.

But defence attorney Army Maj. Oren Gleich said many other factors having little or nothing to do with Bergdahl coalesced into the hastily planned mission.

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3:30 a.m.

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on accusations that he endangered fellow service members by walking off his post in Afghanistan in 2009.

The Friday hearing will likely include further arguments on whether prosecutors should be allowed to admit evidence of injuries to service members who searched for Bergdahl.

The judge has also threatened to require testimony from government officials about the pace at which the defence is receiving classified evidence.

Bergdahl, who’s from Hailey, Idaho, faces charges of desertion and misbehaviour before the enemy, the latter of which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. He was held captive for five years by the Taliban and its allies after he walked off his post.

His military trial is scheduled for April 2017.