Investigation Archives

Investigation sustains allegations against former Howey police chief over relationship with fraud suspect’s wife

HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. — A Lake County Sheriff’s Office internal affairs investigation sustained allegations that former Howey-in-the-Hills Police Chief Michael Giddens violated department policy after engaging in a sexual relationship with the wife of a man he was investigating for felony fraud, according to documents released by the town Thursday. The investigation began after the Town of Howey-in-the-Hills received an anonymous complaint alleging Giddens had engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship with the woman while he was investigating her husband in 2025. Giddens was a lieutenant at the time of the relationship and was appointed police chief in October 2025. Because […]

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Howey-in-the-Hills, Inside Scoop / By Marilyn M. Aciego / July 17, 2026

Howey-in-the-Hills police chief on leave amid investigation

HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. — Howey-in-the-Hills Police Chief Michael Giddens has been placed on administrative leave, Inside Lake has learned. Giddens was placed on administrative leave after Town Manager Sean O’Keefe received an email Monday that prompted an investigation, he told Inside Lake. The contents of the email are part of the investigation and are not being released because the investigation is active, O’Keefe said. Florida law limits the release of certain information related to active investigations. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating, while the town conducts its own investigation, O’Keefe said. “There’s a lot yet to be determined,” O’Keefe