A Florida detention deputy is accused of grabbing a woman by her hair and hitting her “multiple times” in the face and head, authorities said.

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Ryan Mullen, 47, was arrested Friday and charged with one count of domestic battery, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release on Friday.

According to the sheriff’s office, Mullen and the woman had a verbal argument in Largo on June 14, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Deputies said the argument escalated, and Mullen allegedly grabbed the woman by the hair and struck her several times.

The woman suffered a split lip and had injuries to her head and face, the sheriff’s office said in its release.

Deputies said the woman still had evidence of significant bruising and swelling around her eye and cheekbone 10 days after the incident, WFLA-TV reported.

Mullen, who was hired by the sheriff’s office on Jan. 28, 2002, denied any knowledge of the victim’s injuries, the news release stated. He was assigned to the Department of Detention and Corrections, according to the Times.

An investigation is ongoing, the sheriff’s office said. The department did not comment on Mullen’s employment status, according to the Times.

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