HOWEY IN THE HILLS, Fla. (CBS12) — A Florida police chief has resigned after he was accused of having sex with the wife of a man he was investigating, according to reporting by WESH.
According to a report obtained by WESH, former Howey-in-the-Hills Police Chief Michael Giddens violated sections of town and police policy related to moral character and sex while on duty. The report says the investigation began with a phone call to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent last November, during which the caller described a text message thread between his girlfriend and Giddens.
According to WESH, the caller alleged the messages showed Giddens had been conducting a fraud investigation involving the woman’s husband the previous spring. The woman had filed for divorce before beginning a relationship with the caller.
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The report states the caller told investigators that while Giddens was investigating the husband and communicating with the wife, the two met at a hotel in March 2025, where they had lunch and engaged in consensual sex.
According to the report obtained by WESH, the woman later told her new boyfriend she was ashamed, but the text messages between Giddens and the woman continued.
WESH reported that investigators interviewed the woman again in April 2026. She acknowledged continuing to text both Giddens and her incarcerated ex-husband, telling investigators she was “just being a nice person.”
According to WESH, an anonymous email detailing the allegations was later sent to town employees in May, prompting Giddens’ suspension. He later resigned, and the town of Howey-in-the-Hills enlisted the Lake County Sheriff’s Office to conduct a concurrent investigation alongside the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.