A Decatur police lieutenant is the subject of internal and criminal investigations after being accused of assaulting a minor during an off-duty incident, authorities said.

Archie Letson

Archie Hoyt Letson faces a trial next month on a misdemeanor assault charge, court records show. Letson, 40, became a patrol division lieutenant earlier this year.

Letson is assigned to administrative duties pending the outcome of his criminal case in neighboring Lawrence County, said Emme Long, a spokeswoman for Decatur police.

Letson is accused of gouging a minor victim's eyes, court records state. Letson was arrested after the alleged victim got a warrant in May, records show. The case was first reported this morning by The Decatur Daily.

Letson has pleaded not guilty ahead of a Sept. 13 trial date in Lawrence County District Court.

The warrant was signed by the alleged victim, whose specific age isn't listed. A woman also signed the complaint, though her relationship to the minor isn't clear.

The complaint accuses Letson of slapping the minor twice on the face, grabbing him by the hair and slinging him to the ground. The minor suffered a bloody nose and busted lip, court records state.

While gouging the minor's eyes, Letson said, "You'd better not ever slap me again, you little s--t," the complaint alleges.

Long said the Decatur Police Department's internal investigation of the allegations hinges on the outcome of the criminal case. She said the incident happened while Letson was off duty.

"The investigation is ongoing," Long said.

This isn't Letson's first arrest since he became a Decatur policeman in 2001. In 2012, he was accused of threatening his wife and busting her nose, court records show. The case was dismissed the next year when the woman decided not to pursue the misdemeanor domestic-violence charge.

Further details about the assault case haven't been released.

Letson's defense attorney, Robert Tuten, wasn't immediately available for comment.