CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A former police officer in Montgomery charged with violating the rights of a mixed-race couple during a traffic stop faces up to 2 years in jail.

Matthew Leavitt pleaded guilty Monday morning to two civil rights violations in federal court.

Leavitt is accused of beating Twan Reynolds and lacking probable cause to arrest his wife, Lauren, on a charge of driving under the influence. The alleged incident happened last year.

"I'm pretty satisfied with him just admitting that he did do what he done," Twan Reyolds said to reporters after Monday's hearing. "It's a good thing that it is coming out because there probably was a whole lot that was hidden that nobody really knows."

Leavitt held the couple in the police station for hours, while their 4-year-old child was left in the car.

"The emotional aspect of it is very hard at times," Lauren Reynolds said.

Leavitt's attorney, former Kanawha County Prosecutor Bill Forbes, said Leavitt feels what he did at the time was wrong.

"The problem with being a police officer is just like anyone else you get frustrated and angry you can lose your temper. Unlike the rest of us, they're held at a higher standard," Bill Forbes said.

"People may say it's only a misdemeanor, but I say it's significant and it's monumental because Montgomery is now on the way to cleaning up their police department," Mike Clifford, the attorney for the Reynolds family, told reporters. Clifford is also a former Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney.

The judge released Leavitt on a $10,000 bond. He will be sentenced in September.