DA dismisses case against teenage baseball player

Prosecutors are dismissing the charges against a teenage baseball player accused of kicking a helmet and punching an opponent, Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy said on Tuesday.

Sheriff James Bowen asked Murphy to drop the charges against Corey Hall Jr., 16, of Ballston Spa, and to seal the case. Murphy agreed.

Witnesses said an opposing player punched Hall in the stomach when the two were exchanging post-game handshakes at Abner Doubleday Field on June 16, Murphy said.

The opposing player was expelled from the league, but that player's coach -- who happens to be a Saratoga County Sheriff's Deputy -- filed a criminal complaint alleging it was Hall who delivered the punch, and not the other way around. Deputy Bill Marshall, the Galway coach, also alleged that Hall kicked a helmet even though the helmet had no visible signs of damage, Murphy said. 

The DA has reportedly called the case a waste of his office's time. A Malta Town Court judge will get the final say on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m.