SUMTER, CO. — A Sumter County sheriff’s detective has been fired and arrested for allegedly improperly accessing confidential law enforcement databases to monitor an ex-wife of her husband.
Sheriff Pat Breeden announced the arrest Thursday in a release, calling the allegations a violation of the agency’s standards and pledging accountability within the department in a release.
According to the release, an internal audit uncovered unusual activity tied to Detective Brandy Almany, who had worked for the sheriff’s office since 2019.
The release also said she used several restricted systems, including the state’s driver database, court information systems and automated license plate reader technology, for personal reasons unrelated to any criminal investigation.
Investigators alleged Almany searched records connected to her husband’s ex-wife and created false electronic entries to make the searches appear tied to legitimate sheriff’s office cases.
The case was turned over to the State Attorney’s Office before a warrant was issued charging Almany with official misconduct and multiple computer-related offenses tied to unauthorized database access.
Following her arrest, the sheriff’s office moved to terminate Almany and launched a broader audit of database activity within the agency.
Breeden also ordered the temporary suspension of the department’s use of Flock license plate reader technology while the review continues.
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