Investigators found policy violations but no criminal offense after examining Michael Giddens’ relationship with a fraud suspect’s estranged wife.
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. — A former Central Florida police chief had two sexual encounters while on duty with the estranged wife of a man he was investigating for possible fraud, according to newly released findings from state and county investigators.
The investigation found that former Howey-in-the-Hills Police Chief Michael Giddens violated town and Police Department standards covering improper conduct, moral character and sexual activity while working. Authorities did not find that he committed a criminal offense. Giddens resigned June 3, before the town’s administrative review was completed.
The findings describe a relationship that began while Giddens was a lieutenant with the small Lake County police agency. In December 2024, he opened a potential contractor fraud investigation involving the woman’s husband. The man later stopped responding to Giddens, according to the investigative account.
Investigators said Giddens contacted the woman in March 2025 while trying to locate her husband. The two met for lunch and continued exchanging text messages. Their communications later became personal, the report said. The woman had filed for divorce from her husband before the encounters, according to information provided to investigators.
The report said Giddens and the woman had two consensual sexual encounters at area hotels, one in March 2025 and another in May. Investigators concluded that the encounters occurred while Giddens was on duty. The woman’s name was not released in the source material reviewed for this article.
The matter first reached the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in November 2025, when a caller reported finding text messages between Giddens and the woman. The caller, who described himself as the woman’s new boyfriend, told an agent that the messages showed continued communication after the first hotel meeting.
Investigators interviewed the woman in December. She said she did not have the messages described by the caller. A confidential tip received in March 2026 provided additional information that moved the inquiry forward, according to the report. When questioned again in April, the woman acknowledged that she had continued texting Giddens while her estranged husband was jailed.
Giddens had been promoted to police chief in October 2025, months after the reported encounters. The allegations became known to town leaders in May 2026 after an anonymous email was sent to employees. Town Manager Sean O’Keefe placed Giddens on paid administrative leave as officials reviewed the complaint and contacted legal counsel.
The town then asked the Lake County Sheriff’s Office to conduct an administrative investigation alongside the state inquiry. The resulting report combined information gathered by the Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Investigators determined that the conduct violated employment standards even though it did not result in criminal charges.
In his resignation letter, Giddens said his private life had been targeted by anonymous people with personal and political motives. He said he was leaving to protect the integrity of the chief’s office and allow the department to remain focused on public safety. The letter also referred to his more than three decades in law enforcement.
Because Giddens resigned before the administrative investigation ended, the town cannot impose employment-related discipline against him. Officials released the findings as a public record. John Batchelor is serving as interim police chief while the town recruits a permanent replacement.
Author note: Last updated July 17, 2026.