WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army is sending home from Kuwait a military police soldier who was court-martialed in June for his role in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal.
Army headquarters in Washington learned Thursday that Specialist Santos Cardona, assigned to the 23rd Military Police Company, 16th Military Police Brigade, had deployed to Kuwait with his unit for duty in Iraq, according to spokesman Paul Boyce -- both from media inquiries as well as information forwarded by his chain of command.
Cardona served 90 days hard labor and is paying a 12-month, $600 a month fine. Cardona was convicted of dereliction of duty and aggravated assault for using unmuzzled dogs to scare detainees under questioning at Abu Ghraib. Witnesses testified that Cardona and another dog handler competed with each other to see who could scare detainees into soiling themselves. Cardona's defense lawyers said he was a soldier following orders from above.
The Army is sending Cardona home because of concerns for his safety and the safety of his unit if he deployed to Iraq. Army spokesman Paul Boyce told reporters Friday Cardona would be a tempting target for insurgents in Iraq.
Nevertheless, Cardona -- having completed his punishment -- is considered a soldier in good standing with the Army, Boyce said.
At Fort Bragg, N.C., he will be assigned "duties commensurate with his Military Occupation Specialty and rank that allows him to be a productive member of the military police corps and the United States Army," an Army press release stated Friday.
