Abu Ghraib Dog Handler Sentenced

FT. MEADE, Md. — A military jury sentenced an Army dog handler to 90 days’ hard labor and a reduction in rank Friday for allowing his Belgian shepherd to bark within inches of an Iraqi detainee’s face at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

Army Sgt. Santos A. Cardona of Fullerton, Calif., was the 11th soldier convicted of crimes stemming from the abuse of inmates at the prison in late 2003 and early 2004.

He was found guilty of dereliction of duty and aggravated assault for allowing his dog to bark in the face of a kneeling detainee at the request of another soldier who wasn’t an interrogator.

The military jury acquitted him of other charges, including unlawfully having his dog bite a detainee and conspiring with another dog handler to frighten prisoners as a game.

Cardona, who won’t be confined during his sentence, will return to Ft. Bragg, N.C., where his company commander will decide what extra duties to assign as hard labor, said Lt. Col. Bobbi J.W. Davis.

Cardona will probably lose his security clearance, which would bar him from resuming work as a military policeman, Davis said.

Cardona’s rank was reduced to specialist, and the court ordered him to forfeit $600 a month in pay for 12 months.