As Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s hearing in San Antonio, Texas enters its second day today, the defense has begun presenting its case. Yesterday’s prosecution testimony focused on the difficulties of the search for the sergeant, after he left his post in Afghanistan and was captured by the Taliban and held for five years. The hearing will determine whether the Hailey man should face a court-martial on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. AP reporter Juan Lozano is posting updates throughout the hearing; here are the updates so far (I'll add to this post as he sends more updates today):

3:55 p.m., Friday, Sept. 18 - final update of the day

Bowe Bergdahl's lead attorney says there is enough evidence to show that the Army sergeant's case should be treated as a one-day stint of being away without leave, not a more serious violation.

Eugene Fidell's remarks came Friday toward the end of a hearing to help determine if Bergdahl should face a court-martial for walking away from his post in Afghanistan in 2009.

Military prosecutor Margaret Kurz says that the Idaho native should face a court-martial because she says his decision led to a lengthy search that put other soldiers in danger.

The presiding officer will forward his recommendations to the commanding general of U.S. Army Forces Command, who will decide whether it should be referred to a court-martial or be resolved in another manner.

2:55 p.m.

A Department of Defense official who helped debrief Bowe Bergdahl after the Army sergeant was recovered in a prisoner exchange says Bergdahl was subjected to horrific abuse during his five years in captivity.

Terrence Russell testified Friday that Bergdahl suffered under conditions worse than any American prisoner of war since the Vietnam War.

He says Bergdahl's Taliban captors treated him like a "dirty animal," beat him with rubber and copper hoses, and gave him little food and water. He says Bergdahl had uncontrollable diarrhea for years and was kept in a metal cage for three years.

Russell was the fourth and final witness called to testify at a hearing to help determine if Bergdahl will face a court-martial for walking away from his post in Afghanistan six years ago.

12:30 p.m.

The Army officer who conducted the investigation into Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's disappearance says he doesn't believe Bergdahl should go to prison for walking away from his post in Afghanistan six years ago.

Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl testified Friday at a hearing to help determine if Bergdahl should face a court-martial on desertion and other charges.

He says Bergdahl told him he felt there were serious problems among his unit's leadership that endangered his platoon and that he needed to tell a general about them.

Dahl says Bergdahl planned to head from his post to the forward operating base roughly 19 miles away and thought the attention from the resulting search would get a general to listen to him.

He says Bergdahl was "completely off the mark" about his unit.

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10:40 a.m.

A nurse practitioner says Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl suffers from extensive injuries caused by his five years as a Taliban captive and he doesn't think Bergdahl is fit to remain in the military.

Curtis Aberle works at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, where Bergdahl has been station since returning to the U.S. last year. He testified Friday at Bergdahl's Article 32 hearing in Texas that Bergdahl will need a lifetime of medical care.

Aberle says Bergdah suffers from muscular nerve damage in his lower legs, a degenerative disc in his lower back and an injury that has left him with limited movement in his shoulder. He says Bergdahl was kept in a crouched position for extended periods, which caused the injuries.

Aberle also says Bergdahl suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome.

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10:20 a.m.

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's former squad leader in Afghanistan says Bergdahl wasn't adjusting well to their deployment and that he suggested to higher-ups that Bergdahl speak to someone, such as a chaplain.

Former Army Sgt. Greg Leatherman testified Friday that Bergdahl was introverted and didn't do many things with the other soldiers. He says he expressed his worries about Bergdahl to his first sergeant and that he was told to drop the matter.

Leatherman said: "First-sergeant said he didn't want one of his guys telling him what was wrong with somebody in his company."

Leatherman was the first witness called by Bergdahl's lawyers to testify during Bergdahl's Article 32 hearing. The hearing will determine if Bergdahl should face a military trial on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy.

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9:30 a.m.

Bowe Bergdahl's lead attorney says the Army sergeant won't be testifying at the hearing to determine if he should face a court-martial for leaving his post in Afghanistan six years ago.

Eugene Fidell said Friday before beginning his defense of Bergdahl that the lengthy sworn statement Bergdahl gave military investigators last year includes everything relevant he has to say about his situation.

Bergdahl is charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. If he's tried and convicted of the misbehavior charge, he could get life in prison.

The Article 32 is being held at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, where Bergdahl has been stationed since being recovered in a prisoner exchange with the Taliban after five years in captivity.

4:25 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 17

A battalion commander says the soldiers came under increased risk from roadside bombs while searching for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl after he disappeared from his post in southeastern Afghanistan six years ago.

Col. Clinton Baker testified Thursday that the increase was due to soldiers being sent to places that they ordinarily wouldn't have gone.

Baker was the last of the three witnesses called by military prosecutors duringBergdahl's Article 32 hearing. Bergdahl's lawyers will begin presenting evidence and calling witnesses when it resumes on Friday.

All three prosecution witnesses stressed the difficulties caused by Bergdahl'sJune 2009 disappearance.

Prosecutors say the evidence warrants Bergdahl facing a court-martial on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. The misbehavior charge carries a possible life sentence.

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2:50 p.m.

The commander of the Army company that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl belonged to says soldiers were tired, hungry and confused during the search for Bergdahl but continued on "because of the brotherhood."

Maj. Silvino Silvino, commander of the Blackfoot Company, testified Thursday atBergdahl's Article 32 hearing that some soldiers grew angry because they came to believe Bergdahl had deserted.

Bergdahl went missing from his post in southeastern Afghanistan on June 30, 2009, and was held captive by the Taliban for five years until he was exchanged last year for five Taliban commanders held by the U.S. He faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, and his hearing is to determine whether he should face a court-martial.

Silvino says the search lasted 45 days and involved thousands of soldiers.

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11:10 a.m.

The head of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's platoon in Afghanistan says he thought his soldiers were joking when they told him that the Idaho native had gone missing from their post.

Capt. John Billings testified at Bergdahl's Article 32 hearing Thursday that he felt "utter disbelief" that one of his soldiers had gone missing.

Billings told military prosecutor Maj. Margaret Kurz that the search for Bergdahlwas grueling at times and lasted from June 30, 2009 — the day he went missing — until the end of that August.

The hearing at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, where Bergdahl is based, will determine if he will face a military trial on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy.

Bergdahl was exchanged after five years in captivity for five Taliban commanders.

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9:20 a.m.

A hearing has begun to determine if Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl should face a military trial for leaving his post in Afghanistan in June 2009.

The Article 32 hearing at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, where Bergdahl is based, will determine if the Idaho native will face a court-martial on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy.

Bergdahl's lead attorney, Eugene Fidell, has said he plans to call witnesses during the hearing, which could last several days. He declined to say if Bergdahlwould be among them, but he has said details would emerge about the circumstances surrounding Bergdahl's disappearance from his post.

The Taliban held Bergdahl captive for five years until exchanging him for five Taliban commanders being held at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

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