A Lauderdale County sheriff’s deputy accused of sexual contact is no longer employed by the department, Sheriff Billy Sollie said in a news release Friday.

The deputy, whose name has not been released, was suspended with pay after the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation notified Sollie on Sunday an investigation was opened. MBI had been notified by a local hospital after a woman alleged “inappropriate sexual contact” between herself and the deputy.

In the announcement, Sollie said the deputy has not been charged and no probable cause hearings have been held.

“State law prescribes that if a law enforcement officer is accused of a criminal charge that occurred during his/her performance of their duties, the course of action for the investigation is to have a probable cause hearing before a circuit court or present to a grand jury,” he said in the prepared statement. “The deputy is not charged, and his employment status is a personnel matter protected by law.”

MBI has confirmed it is investigating the allegations but has declined to release any further information citing the ongoing investigation.