The U.S. military has charged Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl with one count of desertion and one count of misbehavior before the enemy. Bergdahl was held in Taliban captivity for five years after leaving his Army base in Afghanistan in 2009. An earlier military report found Bergdahl likely walked away from his Army outpost in Afghanistan of his own free will, but stopped short of finding that he planned to permanently desert. Bergdahl has said he was beaten, tortured and locked in a cage by the Taliban after trying to escape. He was freed last year in exchange for five Taliban militants. On Wednesday, an Army spokesperson announced the charges.

Col. Daniel King: “The U.S. Army Forces Command has thoroughly reviewed the Army’s investigation surrounding Sergeant Robert Bowdrie Bergdahl’s 2009 disappearance in Afghanistan, and formally charged Sergeant Bergdahl under the Armed Forces Uniform Code of Military Justice on March 25th, 2015, with desertion, with intent to shirk important or hazardous duty, and misbehavior before the enemy by endangering the safety of a command, unit or place, and has referred the case to an Article 32 preliminary hearing.”

Berghdal faces life in prison if convicted. He is currently serving in an administrative role on a Texas military base. A pretrial hearing will be held next month.