A Cook County circuit judge has dismissed a reckless...

A Cook County circuit judge has dismissed a reckless conduct case against former death row inmate Aaron Patterson. Patterson's case was dismissed because a police officer who was the main witness did not appear in court, authorities said. Patterson was charged in May with misdemeanor reckless conduct during a candlelight vigil outside a North Side police station where activist May Molina died while in police custody. Patterson, 39, was shouting obscenities and pounding on windows at the police station, police said. But Patterson claimed he was trying to help another demonstrator locate some lost keys when an officer yelled at him and started an altercation. Molina was a well-known opponent of the death penalty and co-founder of an activist group that lobbies for the release of wrongfully convicted defendants. The Cook County medical examiner's office said six tin-wrapped packages containing what appeared to be heroin was found inside Molina's body during an autopsy. Patterson served 17 years on death row before being pardoned by former Gov. George Ryan last year. In January, while he was running for a seat on the state legislature, Patterson was charged with misdemeanor counts of simple assault and impersonating a government official.