Soldier with PTSD sues D.A. for lack of care

Veteran with PTSD, jailed on attempted murder charges, sues D.A.
By David Zucchino
July 31, 2012

Staff Sgt. Joshua Eisenhauer, with his mother Dawn Erickson, was diagnosed with severe PTSD from two combat tours in Afghanistan. Charged with attempted murder after opening fire on emergency workers, he said he believed police and firemen were insurgents attacking his position. (Courtesy of Dawn Erickson)

WILMINGTON, N.C. -- A North Carolina soldier diagnosed with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder has filed a civil lawsuit against a local district attorney for allegedly failing to allow access to specialized PTSD treatment while the soldier is imprisoned on attempted-murder charges.

Staff Sgt. Joshua Eisenhauer, 30, has asked that his case be transferred from civilian courts to the military justice system so that he can receive specialized PTSD treatment mandated by the military. The soldier's civil suit, filed last week, alleges that his right to comprehensive mental health treatment has been violated by the Cumberland County, N.C., district attorney's refusal to transfer jurisdiction.

Eisenhauer was charged in January with 15 counts of attempted murder and assault for firing on firefighters and police responding to a minor fire in Eisenhauer’s apartment complex in Fayetteville. Eisenhauer and his attorney say the soldier was experiencing PTSD-related flashbacks and believed that police were Afghan insurgents attacking his position.
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