ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -  A now-fired Florida sheriff's deputy is facing criminal charges after he allegedly performed an exorcism on a child and asked another to shoot anyone who entered the demon-infested home.

The Orlando Sentinel reports Christopher Dougherty, 37, was arrested on child abuse charges Sunday. The report said Dougherty, who's been with the Orange County Sheriff's Office since 2006, was fired the same day for unrelated reasons.

According to arrest records, the alleged ritual unfolded Oct. 15. Deputies responded to a 911 call about an alarm at an apartment where they found a girl wearing body armor lying prone with a rifle, a boy armed with a Taser and Dougherty holding a handgun. 

The children told investigators that Dougherty had performed an exorcism on the boy before telling the girl there were demons in the home and that she must shoot anyone who entered.

“While this deputy was terminated for a pattern of unsatisfactory performance, these are very serious criminal allegations,” Sheriff John Mina said in a statement to Fox News. “As law enforcement officers, we are held to the highest standards of conduct whether on duty or off duty. But we are also concerned about the deputy’s mental health.”

Dougherty was taken to a hospital and placed under arrest immediately after his release Sunday. His relationship to the children was unclear.