An ex-jailer at the Carrizalez-Rucker Detention Center has been arrested and charged for instigating a fight with inmates and lying about it to investigators, according to Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino.

Trevino held a press conference on Friday where he provided details on the incident. He said the ex-jailer, identified as 44-year-old Brian Ybarra, instigated a fight with several inmates and called them "offensive names."

Trevino said Ybarra swung at one inmate twice and the inmate hit Ybarra several times, leaving injuries. Ybarra ended up going to the infirmary, where he wrote on a formal report that he got his injuries from falling and lied to investigators when he gave an official statement.

After interviewing witnesses and gathering statements, investigators learned the report was false and Ybarra lied in his interview, according to Trevino. Arrest warrants for Ybarra were obtained and he was taken into custody Thursday afternoon.

"One of the things I want to let the citizens of Cameron County know that the actions of Mr. Ybarra do not reflect on how my employees at detention centers are doing their work," Trevino said. "For the past month and a half that I've been here, I see how hard those people work."

Trevino said the altercation involved a tablet inmates use to order items through the commissary. Ybarra went to collect the tablet the inmate was using, and that's when the altercation took place.

Trevino said Ybarra was immediately terminated when he was taken into custody, and the inmate that was struck by Ybarra refused to press charges.

"[Ybarra's] actions were his own. This is not what the sheriff's office represents," Trevino said.

He said this is the only altercation the Cameron County Sheriff's Office knows Ybarra was involved in, and fights like this are common.

"Unfortunately, at locations like county jails, altercations between inmates and guards, they're common. But at times, we have to understand that as a jailer you're held at a higher standard. So even if you are provoked by an inmate, you should know how to control your temper," Trevino said.

Ybarra was employed at Carrizales-Rucker Detention Center for a year and a half. He was arraigned on Friday and charged with official oppression, tampering with government records and false report to a peace officer. According to jail records, his bond was set at $14,000.