SUMTER COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – A Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detective has been terminated, arrested and charged with multiple crimes related to misuse of the department’s digital tools, according to a statement from Sumter County Sheriff Patrick “Pat” Breeden released yesterday afternoon.

“On July 23, 2026, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office conducted an internal audit of activity within our law enforcement databases and discovered the improper and unlawful use of these systems to monitor an individual,” the statement read. “During the audit, irregular activity was identified involving Detective Brandy Almany (employed since 2019), and her utilization of multiple databases. As a result of those findings, on July 23, 2026, a criminal investigation was initiated.”

The investigation revealed that Detective Almany had misused SCSO resources by circumventing procedure and using databases, Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR), the Driver and Vehicle Information Database (DAVID) and other resources to collect information on her husband’s ex-wife.

Detective Almany also allegedly tried to cover her tracks by fabricating official reasons for accessing these tools.

The Office of the State Attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit issued an arrest warrant charging Detective Almany with the following offenses:

  • F.S. § 838.022(1)(a), Official Misconduct, by knowingly falsifying official electronic records through the use of unrelated Sheriff’s Office case numbers and false investigative justification in order to obtain a benefit for another person.
  • F.S. § 815.06, Offenses against Computer Users, by knowingly exceeding authorized access to Sheriff’s Office computer systems and software for a purpose outside the scope of authorized governmental use.
  • F.S. § 815.06(2)(a), Offenses Against Computer Users, by knowingly exceeding authorized access to the Florida Driver and Vehicle Information Database (DAVID) to obtain confidential driver, vehicle, address, and personally identifying information for a personal purpose unrelated to any legitimate criminal justice function.
  • F.S. § 815.06(2)(a), Offenses Against Computer Users, by knowingly exceeding authorized access to the Florida Courts Comprehensive Case Information System (CCIS) to obtain court records and personally identifying information for a personal purpose unrelated to any legitimate criminal justice function.

Detective Almany was informed of her pending termination during her arrest.

“As your Sheriff, I’ve promised accountability and transparency,” said Sheriff Breeden in a statement. “Today, I had to arrest one of my own for misuse of multiple law enforcement databases. It is difficult to express my extreme disappointment in the actions this detective chose to take. I assured you I would not tolerate behavior that does not align with our standards of professionalism and integrity, and as a direct result of her actions, this detective has been both terminated and arrested.”