Kansas Case Against Deceased Soldier Dismissed

A judge in Kansas formally dismissed the aggravated battery charge against Fort Bragg's Ricky Elder on Friday. Prosecutors said the 27-year-old Army specialist from Hutchinson was home on leave in April 2010 when he forecefully hit a woman shattering her eye socket.

Senior Assistant Reno County District Attorney Stephen Maxwell said he notified the Army when Elder was initially charged with aggravated battery according to The Hutchinson News report. Maxwell said the Army couldn't discharge Elder early because he had not been convicted.

Elder died last month after he shot and killed Lt. Col. Roy Tisdale of Alvin, Texas, on June 28 before turning the gun on himself. A third soldier was wounded and was released from the hospital.