A Howard County police officer was awarded $1.1 million in damages yesterday from two Columbia men who robbed and severely beat him during an undercover drug deal that went amiss.

Michael J. Oles III, 29, received damages from David Sean Alston and Milton Dwayne Bullock during a hearing before Judge Cornelius Sybert Jr. in Howard Circuit Court.

Detective Oles received an undisclosed amount of money in an out-of-court settlement with a third defendant, Christopher Paul Young of Columbia.

The three defendants have been released from prison after serving sentences ranging from four days to 11 months. Each man had entered plea agreements for robbery charges.

Detective Oles, who has been with the Police Department for about five years, was hospitalized for one day and missed seven weeks of work due to the Aug. 21, 1991, incident.

He was beaten, kicked and struck in the head with a wooden club along a path in Columbia's Long Reach village. One of the assailants held a gun to the officer's skull, while he was robbed of cash, drugs and a watch.