Officer Admits Guilt in Beatings

A Los Angeles police officer, accused in the 1984 beating of two men who he erroneously believed had stolen and stripped his pickup truck, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of assault under color of authority.

The 15-year veteran officer, Dixon Tew, 41, who has already received a six-month job suspension after a departmental Board of Rights hearing, is due to be sentenced by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Marvin D. Rowen on Oct. 16. Tew, one of three police co-defendants in the case, could face a maximum prison term of three years.

The trial of Officer Alejandro Rosales is scheduled to begin Monday, while criminal charges have been dropped against 17-year veteran David McGowan, who agreed to testify against his fellow officers.