AIKEN --- An Aiken County Sheriff's Office narcotics investigator has been fired, and Sheriff Michael Hunt has asked the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to conduct a criminal investigation.

Lt. Daniel Gainey, 37, of Williston, was released from duty Tuesday about 4 p.m., after an internal investigation that began Monday afternoon, said Lt. Michael Frank, spokesman for the sheriff's office.

The investigation found that the lieutenant was operating a chimney sweep business while on duty and that he had not properly completed time sheets of employees under his supervision.

Lt. Frank said employees at the sheriff's office are allowed to have a second job or own a business, but "they just can't operate it while they're supposed to be on duty."

Sheriff Hunt said in a statement that he has also asked SLED to investigate an "allegation involving the use of excessive force" by Lt. Gainey. Lt. Frank would not comment on the specific incident.

Lt. Gainey has been with the sheriff's office since December 2001.

He had been with the narcotics division since October 2007, when Sheriff Hunt appointed him to help rebuild the division, which had vacancies because of a departmental investigation into allegations of criminal misconduct.