ST. TAMMANY PARISH - A former St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's deputy was fired then arrested for domestic violence. 

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office said 27-year-old Brandon Espiritu was arrested Friday for domestic abuse battery with strangulation. Deputies started their investigation March 20. 

Espiritu was a deputy in the criminal patrol division. He was hired by the sheriff's office in June 2021. 

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