NATION IN BRIEF : ALASKA : Sergeant Demoted for Mock Lynching

A master sergeant at Ft. Richardson was demoted and fined for directing the mock lynching of a black soldier in his Army unit. David Comley, a 20-year Army veteran, pleaded guilty to willful dereliction of duty at a special court-martial in Anchorage, the 6th Light Infantry Division said. The Army said a military judge ordered Comley demoted to sergeant first class and said he must forfeit $1,000 a month in pay for three months. Comley was accused of directing a mock hanging of Sgt. Troy Scott, 28, the only black in their 15-member explosives unit.