Man Takes Deal In Mankato Officer Ear-Poking Case

MANKATO (AP) - A former Kiester man accused of licking his fingers and poking a Mankato police officer in both ears has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor to avoid a felony charge.

Twenty-four-year-old Riley Swearingen pleaded guilty to disruptive intoxication Monday. A police officer says Swearingen assaulted him with the move known as a "wet Willy" after Swearingen had been out drinking early Saturday.

Swearingen was visiting on leave from a U.S. Air Force base in Goldsboro, North Carolina. He spent three days in jail after prosecutors charged him with assaulting a police officer with bodily fluids. Prosecutors say his blood alcohol content was 0.18 at the time of the incident.

Swearingen apologized before a judge Monday. He agreed to the plea deal, which also included paying $77 in court costs.