The only US officer charged in the Abu Ghraib scandal was cleared Tuesday of charges relating to the abuse of Iraqi detainees but found guilty of disobeying orders, DPA reported. A 10-member military jury reached its decision against army Lieutenant Colonel Steven Jordan after some seven hours of deliberations over two days at a military base north of Washington. Jordan, 51, was convicted of the most serious charge - disobeying a superior officer's command - which carries up to five years in prison. The panel found him not guilty of dereliction of duty as well as cruelty and mistreatment, and a second count of disobeying orders. The panel members were expected to begin deliberating Jordan's sentence later Tuesday. He could have faced eight and a half years in prison if convicted on all counts.
