Isle-affiliate soldier
pleads guilty to abuse

A California National Guardsman who is tied to Hawaii's 29th Brigade has pleaded guilty to multiple charges of abusing detainees, during a court-martial in Baghdad.

Sgt. David Fimon, 26, who belongs to the 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, was discharged and sentenced to a year in military confinement. The unit is part of the 29th Brigade but is under the control of the 40th Infantry Division.

The Associated Press reported Fimon's plea was made during a court-martial dealing with allegations that 12 soldiers with the 1st Battalion abused prisoners, said Lt. Col. Robert Whetstone, a Task Force Baghdad spokesman.

Fimon, of San Diego County, will serve his sentence in the United States.

The Associated Press said the specific allegations have not been disclosed, but investigators have reviewed accusations that soldiers used an electric stun gun to abuse handcuffed and blindfolded detainees, according to military officials. The soldiers allegedly abused the detainees following an insurgent attack in June.

The 12 belong to the battalion's Fullerton-based Alpha Company, which comprises roughly 130 soldiers. Some face charges of mistreatment of a detainee, assault and making a false statement.

Authorities withdrew the charges in two of the dozen cases, but those soldiers face penalties that might include lost pay and restricted duty, Whetstone said.