LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — The former warden of the Iberia Parish Jail alleges he was fired last year for complaining about inmate beatings and reporting other wrongdoing by deputies that included theft and forgery.

The Advocate reports Wesley Hayes made the claims under Louisiana's "whistle blower" statute in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in state court in Iberia Parish.

The suit names as defendant Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal.

His allegations come as the agency is already under scrutiny for the March 2 death of Victor White III while handcuffed in the back of a sheriff's cruiser and for a separate 2013 incident in which a deputy allegedly kicked and clubbed a handcuffed man when responding to a street party.

Sheriff Louis Ackal cited a policy of not commenting on pending litigation.

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