AUGUSTA — A jury on Monday cleared former a Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office deputy of an accusation that he slapped the mother of his child in the face in a parking lot two blocks from the courthouse.

Mark F. Brown, 46, of Vassalboro, was found not guilty of domestic violence assault and violating a protective order — both misdemeanors — after a day-and-a-half trial in Kennebec County Superior Court.

“Mark has lived with this huge dark cloud over his head for nearly a year,” said his attorney Walter McKee. “He’s relieved it is finally over.”

Brown had worked at the sheriff’s office since April 23, 1988, and was assigned to investigate cases for the Maine Revenue Service, according to Robert Devlin, Kennebec County administrator.

Brown was discharged from the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office on May 25, 2010.

“He will likely seek re-employment,” McKee said, but he didn’t specify where.

The former deputy did not testify at his trial, but two witnesses testified he was with them at the time the alleged assault occurred, McKee said.

The woman named as the victim in the complaint was the first witness in the trial on Thursday.

The woman, now 34 and living in Palermo, testified Thursday she turned to go into a massage therapist’s office when Brown grabbed her by the arm and backhanded her across the face about 12:30 p.m. on May 17, 2010.

She testified that she told no one about the encounter with Brown until a week afterward.