April Culbreath
April Culbreath was suspended 808.4 hours during her time as a Manatee County sheriff’s employee for 12 sustained complaints of employee misconduct.
But her history of alleged misconduct doesn’t end there.
Culbreath, who retired from the MCSO in 2023, has been the subject of 19 unsustained complaints without repercussions for one reason or another.
Culbreath is one of two Republican candidates running for the District 3 seat on the board of county commissioners.
A pair of complaints against Culbreath alleged she has driven under the influence of alcohol.
One case involves claims Culbreath was driving under the influence of alcohol when she crashed her patrol vehicle, but the complaint was not upheld despite what the investigator found “troubling.”
The case was sparked by an Oct. 26, 2005, anonymous letter from “A concern (sic) deputy” who claimed there had been “a big cover-up” of an alleged July 10, 2005, drunk driving incident involving Culbreath.
On the date of the incident, Culbreath — whose last name was Dugan at the time — was responding to a request from Deputy Greg Bass to bring him dinner at his location, while he was working an off-duty security detail.
Culbreath told Chief Inspector Ed Judy that she dropped her cellphone while driving in heavy rain and lost control of her truck when she reached down to retrieve the phone.
Her vehicle “spun out of control and flipped four times,” but she was able to exit and walk to a nearby residence from which 911 was called.
Deputy Brent Smith responded first to the scene — where Culbreath was found covered in mud — and was followed by Bass and Deputy Chris Folds, which Smith found “odd.”
In an interview with Judy, Bass reported to have searched the scene for alcoholic beverages “in case someone ‘…would say that you know, she was drinking….’”
Bass also told Judy, “I didn’t cover anything up. I just got here, I’m not covering anything up,” according to Judy’s investigative report.
Bass and Culbreath later admitted to a consensual sexual relationship from 2003-06, which resulted in two sustained counts of employee misconduct and a 129-hour unpaid suspension for Culbreath.
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper was dispatched to investigate the crash, but Culbreath left in Folds’ vehicle without telling Smith before FHP’s arrival.
Bass told Smith that Folds was taking Culbreath to the hospital, but Folds reported that she requested a ride to his residence to “wash and clean up.”
While there, Culbreath “asked for a beer to calm her nerves,” according to Folds.
FHP Trooper Todd Bergman reported that he was “upset” when Culbreath was not present at the scene of the crash upon his arrival and that she declined to return when he contacted her.
Bergman said he responded to Folds’ residence to complete his report and cited her for careless driving.
“The trooper felt she might have been drinking but this was not pursued,” Judy wrote.
Judy noted in his report that Culbreath leaving the scene before the FHP trooper arrived and later requesting a beer was troubling.
“As all experienced law enforcement officers know, if a traffic accident driver has an alcoholic beverage after the accident, it makes it difficult to positively ascertain the sobriety of the driver at the time of the accident,” he wrote.
However, Judy concluded that the responding deputies provided “no evidence” that Culbreath was intoxicated at the time of the accident and found the complaint unsustained.
Another complaint against Culbreath — who was still named Dugan but had become a detective — was filed May 11, 2010, by Shannon Culbreath, who was then married to April’s current husband, Duane Culbreath.
Beyond reporting Culbreath/Dugan’s affair with her then-husband, Shannon Culbreath alleged that in November 2009 the detective drove her and her husband home from a Bradenton bar using a police vehicle despite Culbreath being intoxicated.
She said Culbreath/Dugan’s vehicle sustained a flat tire during the drive, but the detective ignored the damage and continued driving.
While Inspector Sgt. Monique DeCesare found evidence backing Shannon Culbreath’s claim that Culbreath/Dugan’s vehicle had sustained a flat tire, she found there was insufficient evidence to sustain the complaint that the detective drove while intoxicated.
“There are no witnesses or evidence to substantiate the claim that Detective Dugan was impaired when the damage to her tire occurred,” DeCesare wrote.
Culbreath has not responded to multiple attempts by The Islander to contact her regarding her history of alleged misconduct or her campaign.
Editor’s note: “Candidate’s cop career marred by misconduct,” published July 24 in The Islander.