(FORT BRAGG, N.C.) (AP) — Legal experts say Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s brutal captivity by Taliban allies carried significant weight in a judge’s decision to spare him prison time for leaving his post in Afghanistan.

Criticism by President Donald Trump also appeared to push the judge toward leniency.

Army Col. Jeffery Nance didn’t explain how he formulated his sentence that also included a dishonorable discharge. But the judge had to consider complex arguments for and against leniency.

Prosecutors unsuccessfully fought for a prison sentence. They cited soldiers who were injured when they searched for Bergdahl. But the defense argued that Bergdahl had suffered enough. He spent five years as a captive of the Taliban and also suffered from mental illnesses.

Former Army lawyer Eric Carpenter says an unusual amount of factors were in Bergdahl’s favor.

President Donald Trump called the sentence “a disgrace.”

(Danville, Va.) — Patton Street between Craghead and Lynn streets is now closed to through traffic to allow for the start of a storm water drainage project that will affect traffic for six months or more.

The project not only will affect traffic, but Danville bus routes as well.

Danville Transit has established a detour of certain routes due to the construction.

The project will relocate storm water drainage that will be installed along Patton Street in front of the Municipal Building and the James F. Ingram Courthouse.

The project will be conducted in five phases. In the first phase, no through traffic will be allowed between Craghead and Lynn streets. Lynn and Market streets will remain open during this phase, which is expected to take one month to complete, weather permitting. (Photo: Richard T. Davis)

(Halifax, Va.) – A Halifax man has been sentenced to 63 years in prison following his conviction on nine child pornography charges.

But Jessie Randall Coates had to be found before the sentence could be meted out.

The 42-year-old disappeared during a lunch break at his trial in Halifax County Circuit Court Tuesday afternoon. Sheriff’s investigators learned that Coates had fled to Indiana, where he was staying with family members.

The trial continued in his absence, and the jury convicted Coates on nine felony counts and recommended a 63-year sentence.

When he failed to return to the courtroom Tuesday, the judge issued a capias order for his arrest. Yorktown Police and the U.S. Marshal Service found him in Indiana, where Coates was arrested without incident.

Coates is being held without bond pending extradition to Halifax County.