A Sagadahoc County sheriff’s deputy who has been accused of attempting to strangle his girlfriend was fired from his post last month.

The Times Record reports that Sagadahoc County commissioners voted unanimously at their Dec. 10 meeting to fire 36-year-old Matthew Shiers, who served in the sheriff’s office patrol division. That came after the sheriff’s office conducted an internal investigation.

According to our Info partners at CBS 13 News reports Shiers was charged in July 2019 with aggravated assault, which was elevated to a felony because it involved strangulation. He also was charged with misdemeanor domestic violence and animal cruelty.

The alleged assault happened June 23, 2019, in West Bath, and was reported to the sheriff’s office on June 26 after the victim confided with a friend.

Shiers was scheduled to make his next appearance in a Cumberland County courthouse on Feb. 25, according to The Times Record.