Fort Meade, Md. ? A jury was chosen Monday in the court-martial of a military dog handler charged with abusing detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

Sgt. Santos A. Cardona, 32, is accused of allowing his Belgian shepherd to bite a detainee on the leg badly enough to require stitches and to harass and threaten another detainee in violation of military code.

Opening statements were set for today at Fort Meade. Cardona is charged with assault, dereliction of duty, maltreatment of detainees, conspiracy to maltreat detainees and lying to investigators in late 2003 and early 2004.

Cardona, who was assigned to the 42nd Military Police Detachment at Fort Bragg, N.C., is the second Army dog-handler charged in the scandal.

Sgt. Michael J. Smith, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was convicted at a court-martial in March of maltreatment, conspiracy, dereliction and an indecent act. Smith, of the 523rd Military Police Detachment, Fort Riley, Kan., was sentenced to six months in prison.

Cardona, of Fullerton, Calif., faces up to 16 1/2 years in prison if convicted on all counts.