A state deputy sheriff is accused of assaulting an inmate who was in custody last year for shoplifting.

The state Attorney General filed a criminal complaint in state court Wednesday charging Shaun Dydasco with two counts of misdemeanor assault. The complaint alleges that Dydasco committed both assaults on Apr. 28 last year.

According to state court records, the alleged victim was in Honolulu District Court in Downtown Honolulu that day for his arraignment on a fourth-degree theft charge. He had been arrested the day before for shoplifting at a Wal-Mart Store.

The alleged victim remained in custody until May 3, when his co-defendant in the case posted his $100 bail. He later pleaded no contest and was sentenced to the five days he had already spent in custody.

The state Department of Public Safety says Dydasco started working for the department in October 2007 and remains employed pending the outcome of all investigations.