SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. -- The Seminole County Sheriff's Office said it's appalled at the behavior of one of its deputies. Detention Deputy Cory Kirk is accused of beating an inmate and then lying about it, but the beating was caught on tape.

The sheriff's office said it wants Kirk to face charges. Deputies said, if the video had come from a 7-Eleven surveillance video, the person doing the beating would, at a minimum, be arrested for battery.

That is why it's now up to the State Attorney's Office to decide if Kirk will face charges after he was caught on tape attacking one of his prisoners.

The incident happened on March 31 at 4:00am. It was breakfast time at the Seminole County jail and Kirk dropped off food trays for the three inmates in the cell, including Edward Foster.

GET WFTV NEWS HEADLINES BY EMAIL 9 a.m. Headlines Noon Headlines 4 p.m. Headlines News of the Strange Breaking News Alerts

Another inmate turned down breakfast and gave his to Foster. But on suspicion Foster had stolen more than his share, Kirk rushed back in and wrestled the food away. When he left the cell, Foster got up and yelled profanities at him. That's when, investigators said, Kirk simply snapped.

"It's embarrassing. It's not consistent with the training the values and the morals that a law enforcement officer swears to oath," said Lt. Dennis Lemma, Seminole County Sheriff's Office.

According to paperwork obtained by Eyewitness News, in four years as a Seminole County detention deputy, Kirk has had glowing reviews from his supervisors at the jail. But he hasn't exactly shown interest in staying there. He's applied for four transfers out, including one to a road deputy position. But trainers found he displayed no initiative and deemed his problem solving skills non-existent.

"He was denied and reassigned back to our detention facility," Lemma said.

Authorities said it isn't uncommon for jail deputies to try transferring out. After all, it can be a stressful place to work and deputies are frequently accused of using excessive force. In fact, Kirk himself was exonerated of a past complaint last October.

In this case, his own supervisors turned him in and deputies said he may wind up a prisoner in the very jail he was sworn to protect.

"To see, not just this situation, but any situation involving a law enforcement officer who has crossed the line, it's an embarrassment to the profession," Lemma said.

Before the sheriff could fire him, Kirk tendered his resignation. Tuesday morning, no one came to the door at his Fern Park house.

As for inmate Edward Foster, who'd been in on a trespassing charge, he was not seriously hurt and was eventually let out of jail. Tuesday, though, he was back in jail on another charge. Eyewitness News has requested an interview with him, but haven't heard back.