Source:  KCAL9 TV in Los Angeles  http://kcal9.com/localnews/localnewsla_story_208141157.html

Calif. National Guard company accused of abusing detainees, Jennifer Davis reports.Calif. National Guard Company Under Investigation
* Placed On Restricted Duty

Jul 28, 2005 7:25 am US/Pacific

LOS ANGELES (AP) A California Army National Guard company has been placed on restricted duty amid allegations that members mistreated detainees in Iraq.

The allegations that prisoners were mistreated by soldiers with the 1st Battalion of the 184th Infantry Regiment are under investigation, Col. David Baldwin, a California National Guard spokesman, confirmed Wednesday.

Lt. Col. Clifford Kent, a spokesman for Task Force Baghdad in Iraq, said some of the soldiers were charged with mistreatment of a person under their control, assault and making a false statement. One soldier was charged with obstruction of justice, Kent said.

Still other members of the battalion's Fullerton-based Alpha Company are under investigation for allegedly extorting money from Iraqi shopkeepers, according to a military source who asked to remain anonymous, citing policies against speaking publicly about internal probes.

The company, comprising about 130 soldiers, is stationed at Forward Operating Base Falcon outside Baghdad and has been put on restricted duty while the Army reviews its performance. Meanwhile, the battalion's commander, Lt. Col. Patrick Frey, has been suspended.

Officials declined to discuss the allegations in detail or identify those involved.

" We cannot comment on ongoing investigations," said Tech. Sgt. Andrew Hughan, another California National Guard spokesman.

The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that several sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the mistreatment investigation appears to deal with allegations an electric stun gun was used to abuse or torture Iraqi detainees after an insurgent attack in June. The use of a stun gun on a man who had been handcuffed and blindfolded was videotaped, one soldier told the newspaper.

The military revealed earlier this month that 11 soldiers had been charged with dereliction of duty in connection with the alleged mistreatment of detainees in Iraq but did not identify their unit.

Some of the soldiers also were charged with mistreatment of a person under their control, assault and making a false statement, while one soldier was charged with obstruction of justice, Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, a Task Force Baghdad spokesman, told The Associated Press. All those charged remain in Baghdad, he said.

The Army's Criminal Investigation Division will determine whether the soldiers will face court-martial.

As many as 17 soldiers are under investigation, the Times reported.

In addition to the accusations involving Alpha Company, at least six soldiers in the battalion are alleged to have extorted money from Iraqi business owners, apparently in exchange for protection from insurgents, the newspaper said. The payments allegedly exceeded $30,000 and were made in U.S. currency.

It wasn't clear if anyone has been charged in connection with the extortion allegations.

Some battalion members seemed surprised by the allegations of prisoner abuse.

" I have no idea what is going on," Spc. Aric Mason, 20, of Temecula, said while on leave from Iraq. "All I've heard is rumors ... I just continue on with my job. I'm there to do what they tell me."