Ex-Deputy Accused Of Attempted Murder Faces New Charges

SARASOTA, FL — The case against a former Sarasota County Sheriff’s deputy accused of stealing more than $65,000 from an elderly woman, “rehoming” her dog via Craigslist and then attempting to kill her has taken another twist. The sheriff’s office now says that its ex-employee also faked a suicide email from the woman, prompting her involuntary placement into a mental health facility.

The latest developments in the case against ex-deputy Frankie Eugene Bybee, 46, were announced by the sheriff’s office on Tuesday as it continues to investigate the alleged actions of its former employee.

The email in question was reportedly sent to the 79-year-old woman’s doctor on Dec. 28. That email contained “suicidal implications,” which prompted the doctor to alert authorities. Law enforcement, in turn, had the woman committed involuntarily for an evaluation, a Tuesday media release from the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office on Tuesday, Feb. 7 also announced its discovery of at least 12 other unauthorized withdrawals from the victim’s bank account by Bybee.

“When detectives questioned Bybee, he denied having access to the victim's finances,” the sheriff’s office said. Video surveillance pulled from several locations where the elderly woman's cards were used, however, tells a different story, the sheriff's office said in a Tuesday media release. The agency has posted some of the surveillance videos of Bybee allegedly withdrawing cash from the victim's accounts on its YouTube channel.

Detectives also say they were contacted on Jan. 30 by a Kentucky business owner who reportedly sold Bybee a $1,080 rotisserie and related accessories. Detectives say Bybee used the 79-year-old woman’s name, email and PayPal account to make that purchase. A Jan. 31 warrant search of Bybee’s home turned up the rotisserie and brackets, the sheriff’s office said Tuesday.

The original investigation into Bybee’s alleged actions began in December 2016, when the sheriff’s office said the 79-year-old victim called the agency asking for help because she was being harassed. That call ultimately led to Bybee’s Jan. 23 arrest on exploitation of the elderly, attempted murder and other charges.

An arrest report released after Bybee’s initial arrest says that he met the women in October 2016 when he was called out to her home in his capacity as a deputy. The Sarasota woman, who Patch is not identifying, turned out needing medical assistance so Bybee drove her to the hospital, the report said.

Bybee, the report noted, prayed with the woman before leaving her at the hospital.

After the woman’s release from the hospital, the sheriff’s office said the two struck up a familial type relationship. Before long, Bybee introduced his family to the woman and began visiting her home on a regular basis “while on duty and in uniform,” the arrest report said.

“The defendant took possession of the victim’s dog and agreed to keep and care for it while the victim was ill and in the hospital,” the report said. The dog, however, was never returned.

Bybee later “told detectives that he ‘rehomed’ the dog on Craigslist,” the sheriff's office said.

As for the stolen $65,000, the sheriff’s office says it caught Bybee red-handed with the checks. The agency said an envelope made out to Bybee was delivered to the sheriff’s office at 2071 Ringling Blvd. on Jan. 9. The envelop had “four checks belonging to the victim, made out to Bybee and his three children, for a total of $65,000” inside, a media release from the sheriff’s office said.

Bybee’s fingerprint was found on one of the checks, the sheriff's office said.

Just three days later, on Jan. 12, deputies were dispatched to the victim’s home. The woman told deputies “Bybee entered her unlocked front door while wearing dark clothing and blue latex gloves,” the agency said in a media release. “Bybee mounted the victim and while holding her down, forced prescription medication in her mouth, causing lacerations and abrasions to her face, and bruising to her body.”

The woman, the agency reported, was rendered unconscious. When she woke up, she called for help.

“It was determined that her home filled with carbon monoxide after the internal door to her garage was left open and her car was left running,” the release said. “The investigation revealed that Bybee attempted to kill the victim and make it appear like a suicide.”

After Bybee’s initial Jan. 23 arrest was announced by the sheriff’s office, detectives say they were contacted by a woman who alleged she and “Bybee engaged in an illicit sexual relationship,” Tuesday’s email said. That alleged report was looked into further during an internal affairs investigation that began on Jan. 30.

The investigation revealed “that Bybee maintained a relationship with the woman and accepted more than $100,000 for performing sexual acts,” the sheriff’s office claimed.

A bond hearing was held in Bybee’s case on Tuesday, Feb. 7 in regard to the original Jan. 23 charges. Bybee’s bond for those charges was reduced from $1 million to $365,620. Bond was also set for the new charges – 10 counts of criminal use of personal identification and one count of accessing a computer or electronic device without authority. Bond for those charges was set at $5,500.

The investigation into Bybee’s alleged actions remains ongoing. Bybee, an 18-year veteran deputy, was terminated from his job at the sheriff’s office on Jan. 31.

Booking photo courtesy of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office