Nation in brief: Army charges Abu Ghraib officer
The only U.S. military officer charged with a crime in the Abu Ghraib scandal will be court-martialed on eight charges, including cruelty and maltreatment of prisoners, the Army said Friday.
Lt. Col. Steven Lee Jordan, a 50-year-old reservist from Virginia who ran the interrogation center at the Iraqi prison, was accused of failing to exert his authority as the place descended into chaos, with prisoners stripped naked, photographed in humiliating poses and intimidated by snarling dogs. He was also charged with lying to investigators.
He has not been accused of personally torturing or humiliating prisoners, and was not pictured in any of the photos that embarrassed the Pentagon and shocked the Muslim world.
New Orleans
Judge rejects insurer settlement
A federal judge in Mississippi on Friday refused to endorse part of a proposed settlement that calls for insurance payments to thousands of Mississippi policyholders whose homes were destroyed or damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
U.S. District Judge L.T. Senter Jr. would not sign off on a proposal for State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. to pay at least $50 million to policyholders whose claims were denied but didn’t sue the company.
Senter said he doesn’t have enough information to determine how many policyholders would benefit from the deal or how much each can be paid.
Senter rejected the settlement “without prejudice,” allowing lawyers to present a new agreement that satisfies his concerns.
San Diego
Navy helicopter crashes into ocean
A Navy helicopter with four crew members aboard crashed Friday into the Pacific Ocean about 50 miles off the California coast, killing at least one person, a Navy spokesman said.
A sailor died after being pulled alive from the water, the Navy said. It was unclear whether the other three crew members survived.
“We remain optimistic that we’ll find the remaining three and that they’ll be in good shape,” said Cmdr. Jack Hanzlik.
The helicopter, based at Naval Air Station North Island, was on a training mission when it crashed. The MH-60S, commonly known as a Seahawk, was on a mission off the USS Bonhomme Richard near San Clemente Island.
Navy search-and-rescue efforts were under way as darkness fell.