Judge dismisses case against Blackwater defendant

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed criminal charges against a former Blackwater security guard whose actions allegedly triggered the shootings of dozens of Iraqi citizens at a traffic circle in Baghdad nearly seven years ago.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth dismissed the indictment against Nicholas Slatten after a federal appeals court said the statute of limitations had lapsed before the government filed the charges against Slatten last October. The statute of limitations restricts the time in which legal proceedings may be brought.