Michael Fultz, 24, resigned from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office on May 27 after an internal investigation uncovered multiple allegations of misconduct against the decorated Florida deputy.
Fultz had been named the agency’s 2025 Deputy of the Year and received a Medal of Valor following an April 2025 incident in which he shot a suicidal man who charged at him with a knife, just seven months after his hire as a probationary deputy. The honors were announced at a March award ceremony, but within weeks his ex-girlfriend sent an email to the sheriff’s office detailing disturbing behavior she said she had witnessed and experienced during their relationship.
“My intention in providing this information is not to pursue personal retaliation but to ensure the agency is aware of conduct that, in my understanding, may conflict with departmental policies or professional standards,” she wrote in the email, according to records obtained by News6.
The woman provided investigators with images showing Fultz placing what appeared to be an agency-issued handgun in her mouth and pointing it at the back of her head during consensual sex. Fultz claimed the weapon was his personal firearm but admitted to ignoring all firearm safety training he had received, investigators wrote in their report.
She also submitted screenshots from a FaceTime call in which she alleged Fultz was masturbating in a patrol car while in uniform. Additionally, the woman told investigators that Fultz had discussed watching her through the agency’s Flock camera license-plate reader system, which maps automated license plate readers from multiple vendors.
An audit confirmed Fultz had searched his ex-girlfriend’s license plate once before the start of his shift, marking the query as for “investigation” purposes. “Deputy Fultz denied checking her vehicle registration to spy on her or out of revenge but could not provide any reason as to why he queried her vehicle registration tag while off duty,” investigators wrote.
The Flock system has drawn increased scrutiny after the outlet investigation found dozens of police officials have been charged or convicted of misusing the tool or other license plate readers. The allegation involving Fultz did not appear to spark a criminal probe, News6 reported.
Text messages provided to investigators showed Fultz had repeatedly used the N-word. He told investigators he grew up in a foster home with Black parents and siblings and that the slur “became normal to use.”
“Deputy Fultz agreed that as a law enforcement officer, he should not use any words or slurs that are derogatory, even if that is not his intention. Deputy Fultz also denied ever hearing any other BCSO deputies use the word or making racially motivated jokes,” records show.
A 2023 photo taken before Fultz was hired captured him with a mustache “shaved in what appears to be an attempt to mimic Adolf Hitler” while performing a Nazi salute. Though he admitted to posing for the image, he “denied being racist and stated that the photograph was merely a joke,” according to records.
The deputy was also stopped by other law enforcement agencies at least four times while riding his motorcycle off-duty and allegedly failed to report those traffic stops to supervisors as required. Sheriff Wayne Ivey signed off on the internal investigation and had planned to terminate Fultz before the deputy submitted his resignation.
In a statement, Fultz apologized for the fallout from his actions. “First and foremost, I want to apologize to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the men and women I served alongside, my family, and the citizens of Brevard County for the embarrassment and negative attention my actions have caused,” he wrote.
“Becoming a deputy was a dream of mine, and I will always be grateful to Sheriff Ivey and BCSO for giving me the opportunity to fulfill that dream,” he added.