Former Sgt. Pat Guity said he has received confirmation that the complaint was forwarded to LPD Lt. Steve Sealey and Sgt. LeRon Strong, both of the internal affairs division.

An earlier version of this story mistakenly referred to Roger Mallory as the retiring city attorney. He was the retiring police attorney. This story has been corrected.

LAKELAND — A retired Lakeland police sergeant has filed a complaint with the department, accusing former Chief Larry Giddens of having a romantic relationship with a subordinate, the new police attorney, before his retirement.

Former Sgt. Pat Guity says in the complaint filed earlier this month that Giddens and LPD attorney Donna Perry violated numerous policies, including fraternization and untruthfulness. At least one of his allegations — that Giddens' department-issued cellphone was "wiped clean," presumably destroying evidence and public records — appears to be contradicted by text messages released by LPD upon request by The Ledger.

Guity said he has received confirmation that the complaint was forwarded to LPD Lt. Steve Sealey and Sgt. LeRon Strong, both of the internal affairs division.

"This adulterous relationship amongst the two married individuals, directly resulted in former Chief Giddens abruptly leaving the department in a shameful fashion, after 33 years of service," Guity wrote. "What makes these violations the most shameful, is that the department’s legal counsel (Mrs. Perry), and former Chief Giddens violated the same policies that they developed and/or had a moral and ethical obligation to enforce."

Guity's complaint was sent anonymously, but he later confirmed to The Ledger that he was the author of the complaint. Guity retired in 2018 in good standing, according to the department.

Giddens declined to comment. Perry did not return a phone message or an email requesting comment.

About five weeks after Perry started at LPD, Giddens had talked with City Manager Tony Delgado in November about leaving the department because of issues at home.

Delgado said he urged Giddens to stay.

In December, Giddens asked whether Perry, his subordinate, could be transferred to work at City Hall instead of at the police department. Perry’s new boss would have been City Attorney Tim McCausland.

Delgado said the prospect of moving the police attorney to City Hall had been discussed before Perry arrived. But Delgado told Giddens it was a bad idea, and Perry needed to stay at the department.

Later in December, Giddens again approached Delgado about leaving. Delgado told Giddens he had heard rumors that he and Perry had been spending a lot of time together.

Giddens told him it was platonic.

“He told me he would never do anything to tarnish the department, the city or himself,” Delgado said Monday.

Delgado said he again pushed for him to stay in the department.

On Jan. 7, Giddens, 55, announced his retirement effective Feb. 1.

Guity’s complaint followed another anonymous complaint filed days before that. The writer or writers signed it as "A Group for Better Leadership."

"This is a mine field in and of itself and can cause tremendous problems in a business or governmental agency, up to and including firing of employees or worse yet, filing of EEOC complaints and lawsuits," the complaint read.

Police Chief Ruben Garcia neither confirmed nor denied an investigation is underway. He said any complaint the department receives is fully investigated.

"We will be transparent as soon as an investigation is over," Garcia said.

Guity wrote that Giddens and Perry violated several general policies, including:

• Untruthfulness — Members shall not intentionally make false statements or fail to disclose complete information in connection with the performance of official duties.

• Conduct unbecoming — All members are prohibited from engaging in any conduct, on and off duty, that brings the department into disrepute, reflects unfavorably upon the employee as a member of the department, damages or affects the reputation of that employee, or impairs the operation or efficiency of the department or any of its personnel.

One of the accusations in Guity's complaint was the failure of Giddens and Perry to report their relationship.

Giddens strengthened the nepotism and fraternization policy in 2016 by adding a clause that "members of the department shall not knowingly be assigned to a position in which a member with whom they have a personal relationship would directly supervise them, be in their direct chain of command, or serve as their subordinate."

"This was put in place during the previous 'sex scandal’ at the Lakeland Police department where members were disciplined for ‘their failure to report’ misconduct," Guity wrote.

Giddens was tapped to lead the department by former City Manager Doug Thomas in 2014 following a scandal that led to the discipline of 27 LPD employees, including about a dozen officers who resigned in lieu of termination and three who were fired. The problems also involved city workers outside the department.

Perry, 39, was hired by Giddens, McCausland, Assistant Chief Rick Taylor and former Assistant Chief Vic White to replace retiring police attorney Roger Mallory. She was chosen over 11 other candidates interviewed by video for the job that pays $105,000 a year.

Perry, who is married, worked as an assistant attorney general in the agency's West Palm Beach office for nearly two years before taking the job, according to her application. Her duties included working death penalty appeal cases and legal research and writing.

Before that, she worked as an assistant state attorney for the State Attorney's Office in Broward County, prosecuting murders and other violent crimes.

Perry started Oct. 8, less than a month before Giddens entered the state's Deferred Retirement Option Program.

When The Ledger requested Perry’s cellphone communications between her and Giddens, Perry told Kevin Cook, Lakeland city spokesman, there were no messages.

“The Chief did not text her regarding City business," Cook wrote in an email. "He would call or email."

In fact, there were records.

A review of Giddens’ records show 38 texts related to city business between Perry and Giddens. Personal texts do not fall under the public-records law.

In the past, the police department was criticized for the way it handled public records. A grand jury lambasted the department for failing to comply with public-records laws during former Chief Lisa Womack’s tenure before Giddens replaced her.

Giddens announced his retirement about two months after he entered the DROP program.

During DROP, Giddens would have been able to collect his $169,000 yearly salary while having his monthly pension paid into a trust fund, allowing him to earn interest on the DROP funds. At the end of an employee’s tenure of up to five years, the DROP payment is paid out in a lump sum.

He wrote in his resignation letter that his last day would be Feb. 1.

On Feb. 25, his wife, Rhonda, filed for divorce.

In a resignation letter, Giddens cited a new employment opportunity at Florida Southern College and more time with his family as the reason for his retirement.

"The opportunity to spend real quality time with them outweighs my love for this job," Giddens wrote to Delgado.

John Chambliss can be contacted at john.chambliss@theledger.com or 863-802-7588.