Patricia Doxsey is reporting for the Daily Freeman in a ruling issued February 2, Ulster County Judge Bryan Rounds dismissed the second-degree murder charges filed against State Trooper Christopher Baldner for the December 2020 death of 11-year-old Monica Goods. In the 23-page ruling, Rounds found the evidence presented failed to support charges that Baldner acted with “depraved indifference to human life” when he twice collided with a vehicle driven by the Brooklyn girl’s father, Tristin Goods, on the New York State Thruway. Baldner was engaged in a high-speed pursuit at the time and his actions caused the Goods vehicle to flip and led to the death of the girl. A second-degree manslaughter charge and three counts of second-degree reckless endangerment filed against Baldner, 43, still stand. The state Attorney General’s Office, which is prosecuting the case, has said Baldner pursued Goods at speeds of up to 130 miles an hour and that within two minutes of the onset of the chase Baldner intentionally twice rammed Goods’ vehicle. Baldner is also facing three counts of second-degree reckless endangerment resulting from a 2019 incident when Baldner allegedly used a pit maneuver on another vehicle, causing it to hit a guardrail. Authorities have said that Baldner then rammed the stopped vehicle. In his ruling, Rounds also reduced other reckless endangerment charges, saying that like the murder charge, the evidence did not support the prosecution’s claim the trooper acted with “depraved indifference to human life.” In his decision, Rounds did have harsh words for the trooper’s actions, saying his “compliance with the professional standards of the New York State Police is rationally presumed to be deficient” and that his demeanor during the initial traffic stop “might be charitably described as vulgar.” He called his actions during the Sept. 6, 2019 incident “arrogant.” Baldner’s attorney, John Ingrassia, could not be immediately reached for comment. The AG’s Office said it is reviewing the judge’s ruling. Read the Rounds decision in the Daily Freeman.