Ex-Florida police chief was having affair, sex on duty with wife of suspect under investigation: FDLE report
Former police chief resigned amid ethics investigation, FDLE says
A Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation found that former Howey-in-the-Hills Police Chief Michael Giddens engaged in a sexual relationship with the estranged wife of a man he was investigating, leading to findings that he violated professional standards but committed no criminal offenses.
LAKE COUNTY, Fla. - Former Howey-in-the-Hills Police Chief Michael Giddens, who was placed on administrative leave in May and resigned in June, allegedly had an affair with the estranged wife of a suspect who was being actively investigated as part of a criminal probe, according to investigations by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
The details and results of that investigation were released on Thursday. Giddens was not found to have committed any criminal wrongdoing, but did violate police and town policies. He resigned prior to the completion of the investigation.
78-page investigative report released
The backstory:
According to the 78-page report, Giddens was found to have violated policies on improper conduct, moral character, and sex while on duty.
In December 2024, Giddens, then a lieutenant with the Howie-in-the-Hills Police Department, opened a potential contractor fraud case against a man. After a few conversations, the man stopped responding to Giddens amid the investigation, the report said.
In March 2025, Giddens allegedly contacted the man's wife to see if she could track down her husband.
According to the report, the two met for lunch, and then continued to exchange text messages with one another. At some point, the "relationship became more personal."
The report said Giddens and the woman had two consensual sexual encounters at hotels in the area allegedly while he was on duty.
The relationship ended in late 2025 after the woman got into a new relationship with someone, according to the report.
Giddens was promoted to Chief of Police in October 2025, prior to when the allegations were made.
According to the report, a complaint about potential ethics violations about Giddens was made to FDLE in November 2025. The Town of Howey-in-the-Hills received an anonymous complaint in May 2026, which then surfaced FDLE's November investigation and Gidden's administrative leave, suspension, and eventual resignation.
Giddens resigns
In his resignation letter, Giddens said he was stepping down to "preserve the integrity of the office of the Chief."
"While I have always maintained the highest standards of professional conduct, I refuse to allow my personal life to be used as a tool to distract from vital work of this agency," read the resignation letter.
Because he resigned, the Town of Howey-in-the-Hills said it cannot impose any employment-related disciplinary measures following the investigation, just that it has published the investigative findings as a matter of record.
Howey-in-the-Hills Police Department is searching for Giddens' replacement. John Batchelor is serving as interim police while the search is conducted.
The Source: This story was written with information from the Town of Howey-in-the-Hills, the Lake County Sheriff's Office and previous FOX 35 reporting.