A Dawsonville man has been charged with aggravated assault in connection with the brutal beating of a family member.

Nathan Benjamin Ortega, 29, is accused of repeatedly hitting the woman with an iron fire poker Sunday afternoon at a home on Fern Valley Road.

He is also charged with simple battery and simple assault, according to jail records.

Dawson County Sheriff's spokesman Capt. Tony Wooten said the beating caused bruising and bleeding to the woman's head and upper torso.

She was treated for her injuries at a local hospital, he said.

Ortega was booked into the Dawson County jail Sunday night.

He is being held without bond.