July 7th, 2016 by WCBC Radio

Prosecutors dropped one of the five charges against Baltimore Police Lt. Brian Rice — misconduct in office based on an alleged illegal arrest — before launching into opening statements in his trial Thursday morning. Rice, 42, is the fourth of six officers to stand trial in the arrest and death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old who suffered a severe injury in the back of a police van in April 2015 and died a week later. Prosecutors are pushing forward with the remaining charges against Rice — involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and a second misconduct in office charge — despite the acquittal of two other officers on similar and more serious charges by Circuit Judge Barry G. Williams, who is also presiding over Rice's trial.