A former St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy was arrested Friday on a count of domestic abuse, authorities say.

Brandon Espiritu, 27, will be booked on a count of domestic abuse battery with strangulation into the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center, the sheriff’s office said.

It is not clear when the incident occurred — the sheriff’s office could not be reached for comment — but a news release said an investigation began March 20.

Espiritu was fired Friday; he was hired as a deputy in June of 2021, working in the sheriff’s office criminal patrol division.

“It is a very sad day when you have to arrest one of your own employees,” said St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith, “but no one is above the law.”