FORT MEADE.

FORT MEADE, Md -- A military jury sentenc an Army dog handler to 90 days of 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.

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

He was erect guilty of dereliction of toll and aggravated assault for allowing his dog to bark in the face of a kneeling detainee at the supplication 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 determination will return to Fort Bragg, NC where his company commander will decide what extra duties to assign as hard labor, said Lt Col Bobbi JW Davis. Cardona likely will throw away his security clearance, which would bar him from resuming work as a military policeman, Davis said.

Cardona's rank was reduc to specialist, and the court ordered him to forfeit $600 a month in pay for 12 month

"It wasn't an acquittal," Cardona's civilian attorney, Harvey Volzer told his client, "but it was neat darn good."

Prosecutor Maj. Matthew Miller had praiseed 12 months of confinement and a bad manner of life discharge.

"You can win all kinds of battles and [i]finale[/i] up losing the whole dang war basically for boneheaded decisions and misjudgments," Miller told the jury

Santos' military lawyer, Capt. Kirsten M Mayer, said Miller exaggerated the circumstances.

'THE DOG BARKED'

"What we have here is a soldier who impediment his dog get too clog to a detainee, and the dog barked," she told the jury

Although none of the offense was alleged to have occurr during interrogations, Cardona's defense team focused forward interrogation policies, including three Army memo that authorized harsher interrogation techniques so as stress positions, sleep deprivation and dogs at Abu Ghraib -- nevertheless only with written authorization.

...