A Hall County jailer who was suspended following a December 2010 assault on an inmate has been fired following a similar incident on Saturday.

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office fired Dustin Charlton following an internal investigation into an alleged excessive force incident at the jail, spokesman Sgt. Stephen Wilbanks said in a Thursday news release.

Charlton, who had been employed with the sheriff’s office since May 2010, was involved in an altercation with a combative inmate. After the inmate was brought under control and placed in handcuffs, Charlton struck the inmate’s head with his hand, the sheriff’s office said.

Other details, such as where in the jail the incident occurred or whether other guards were involved in restraining the inmate, weren’t available.

“These are details of the investigation that we cannot release at this time,” Wilbanks said.

The sheriff’s office has requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation conduct an independent investigation and review the results with the Hall/Dawson County District Attorney’s Office.

Criminal charges are possible against Charlton, who couldn’t be reached for comment, “but that determination will be (made) by the district attorney’s office after the investigation is complete and the case is presented to his office,” Wilbanks said.

GBI spokesman John Bankhead couldn’t be reached for comment.

Col. Tony Carter, chief deputy of the sheriff’s office, released a statement about the incident.

“Charlton’s actions are completely unacceptable and do an extreme disservice to those we are sworn to protect, as well as those officers who serve honorably,” he said.

“Policies, procedures, training and supervision are all in place to prevent this type of incident. We expect all employees to be positive representatives of the sheriff’s office and conduct themselves in a professional manner.”

The sheriff’s office’s Internal Affairs Unit is still investigating the incident, Wilbanks said.

Charlton was subject of a 2010 investigation following an uprising at the jail.

He was suspended for five days without pay for hitting an inmate in the face, an action that was caught on video cameras that monitor different areas in the jail.

“Jailers are required to undergo 20 hours of training annually, consisting of, among other things, ethics and integrity, use of force and code of conduct,” Wilbanks said, adding that he couldn’t comment on Charlton’s training record.