Abu Ghraib dog handler sentenced to hard labor

WASHINGTON – An Army military police dog handler who was convicted of using his animal to intimidate a detainee at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq was sentenced Friday to 90 days of hard labor, a penalty that will allow him to stay in the Army without serving time in jail.

The sentence also calls for Sgt. Santos Cardona, 32, to be reduced one rank and to forfeit $600 of his monthly pay for 12 months for convictions of assaulting a high-value detainee in late 2003 and early 2004 and for dereliction of duty. Cardona will be allowed to stay with his military police unit at Fort Bragg, N.C., and will perform the labor at the behest of his company commander while remaining free of incarceration.

Cardona was charged with conspiracy and abuse relating to a series of incidents at the prison.