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Deputy fired after kicking inmate for tossing cookie to bird

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A former detention deputy in Florida lost his job and is now facing charges after the sheriff says the deputy was seen on video kicking a prison inmate who gave a cookie to a bird.

Surveillance cameras captured the incident as three inmates on kitchen work duty were dumping garbage in a dumpster. One of them saw a bird and tossed a cookie its way. One of the supervising deputies didn't like it. According to the sheriff's office, Deputy James Moran ordered the inmate to do 50 push-ups as punishment.

"Nobody deserves to be told to get on the ground and give me 50, using profanity for simply giving a cookie that's going into the trash to a bird. It's one of the stupidest things I've ever seen," Sheriff Bob Gualtieri told WFTS.

Investigators say when the inmate got tired and stopped, Moran kicked him in the ribs. The inmate, serving time for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, didn't report the incident until he was released last week.

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After looking at the video, the sheriff's office fired Moran and then arrested him on battery charges. "I'm kind of speechless on it because it is so ridiculous. It is so outside the bounds, and it is such misconduct. Anybody and everybody out there knows we don't treat people this way. We don't treat inmates this way," said Gualtieri.

The sheriff's office is also investigating another deputy who was there on suspicion of not taking action.

The inmate is back in jail on car burglary charges.