The reason behind the firing of the former Pierce County DARE officer Feb. 10, 2026 has been revealed.

According to a public records request filed by “The Journal” June 23, former Pierce County Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) Officer Brette Huppert was fired after a two-month investigation revealed she had been falsifying timecards and getting paid for time that she wasn’t working on and off over a period of two years.

The Journal received the requested information from Pierce County Administrator Jason Matthys Tuesday, Sept. 2 on a flash drive that contained nearly 2,000 pages of documents from the investigation into Huppert’s conduct, which was performed by Pierce County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Colin Gilles.

Matthys sent Huppert a Woznicki notice dated Aug. 10, which under Wisconsin Public Records Law, requires the county “to notify any individual to whom a responsive record pertains before disclosing the record.”

“After conducting the balancing test, which I am required bv law to do, I have determined that the requested records … are subject to disclosure,” Matthys wrote.

Under the public records law, Huppert had the right, within five business days after receipt of the notice, to contact Matthys in writing if she intended to seek a court order restraining him from providing access to or copies of the requested records. She would have had 10 business days after receiving the notice to seek a court order. If Matthys didn’t hear from her within 12 business days after the date on the letter, he could disclose the requested records on the 13^th business day, which he did.

The investigation into Huppert’s timecards began in August 2025 after a patrol sergeant brought the issue to a supervisor’s attention and ended in October 2025. The investigation covered Huppert’s timecards from January 2025 to October 2025.

According to a complaint filed by Sheriff Chad Koranda on Dec. 22, 2025, Huppert was accused of violations of policy against time, hours worked and equipment use:

• Falsifying timesheet/records
• Failure to use mobile data terminal (computer with GPS) in her squad
• Attendance violation/sick time use

The report lists the following evidence verbatim:

“Responsibility for Completion of Payroll Records: 1014,1.1 Employees are responsible for the accurate and timely submission of payroll records for the payment of wages. During our investigation we found you did not accurately document your time when entering your payroll. There were 21 instances in 2024 and 22 instances in 2025 where you indicated on your timesheet that you were at work but you were not. This was found through your computer login history, laptop gps data, MDT login data, and building badge access data. You were also not documenting the time when you would start late and leave early. Attendance: 319.5.3(a), (b), “Attendance: During our investigation I found countless times where you arrived late and left early and did not communicate anything with any supervisor, and also did not account for that time on your timesheet. You were also found to be shopping during work hours without permission.

“Mobile Data Terminal: 703.3.3 (a) Members assigned to vehicles equipped with a Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) shall log onto the MDT with the required information when going on-duty. You were advised in November of 2024 about logging into your computer when you are working yet the Sgt's still identified numerous times that you were not logged on. Your computer login records also show you were not logged in numerous times at the start of your shift.

“Conditions of Employment: Article XI, Section E, Number 15, Fraudulent claims for reimbursement, hours worked. During our investigation I discovered 21 instances in 2024 and 22 instances in 2025 where you indicated on your timesheet that you were working a full day but were never at work. You did not use vacation, sick, or holiday time. This was based on your login history, badge access history and computer gps data.”

Further notes from Sgt. Rick Huneke and Gilles, who had been keeping track of Huppert’s time off, daily work schedule, and correlating timesheets for two months, indicated that Huppert was coming in late, leaving early and not at work on days in which her timesheet said she worked a full day. Gilles gave her a warning, according to his report, on Oct. 1, 2025 in which he told her to work her full days according to her timesheet hours and to be in full uniform while working with her radio and equipment on while in the schools.

“I also told her she needed to check on and off with dispatch and she needed to be logged into her computer and MDT and if she wanted to use any time off such as sick, vacation, etc she had to okay that with Lt. Thoms only,” Gilles wrote. “On Thursday, October 2nd, 2025, two days after our meeting, Brette left early and did not check in with Lt. Thoms. I emailed her on October 3rd and advised her again that she needed to go through Lt. Thoms for time off and that it was not appropriate to get approval from Chad.”

The investigation revealed, which used her squad’s GPS data, badge access into the sheriff’s office and FLOCK cameras in River Falls and Hudson, that at times that Huppert said she was working she was sometimes shopping, at home or getting her nails done. Though the number of hours she said she worked but didn’t isn’t perfectly known, in a two-week pay period in September 2025, Huneke noted that 33.5 hours she wasn’t at work that she listed as work hours.

“I told her in 2024 there were 21 instances of her not using vacation, sick, or holiday time but she was not at work. In 2025 there were 22 instances of her not using vacation or sick time and she was not at work,” Gilles wrote.

Huppert’s salary for 2024 was listed as $69,415.15. In 2025, she was paid for 50.25 hours of overtime, for a total of $2,588.18.

Huppert apparently told Gilles she was doing what she was trained to do and admitted she took advantage of trust and leeway when making her schedule. She said she sometimes worked from home, then admitted she couldn’t get much done at home except sending emails. Huppert also said she thought she was getting paid for driving to and from work, even though sometimes that involved picking up her child from daycare.

Though she had no prior disciplinary actions against her, the report revealed that Thoms told her during a November 2024 review that she needed to be checking into dispatch on her radio, carrying her radio at schools and logging into her mobile computer in the squad. He said he also told her multiple times that she needed to turn in slips for sick time, vacation, etc.

Koranda and Gilles proposed a five-day unpaid suspension, a “last chance agreement” and a memorandum of understanding outlining the position’s expectations. Huppert’s police union representative said she was agreeable to the proposed discipline; however, the county’s Finance & Personnel Committee, which has the final say, voted to terminate her employment. Koranda said she was not placed on any type of administrative leave during the investigation.

Koranda said during the investigation, he and Gilles used “The Seven Tests of Just Cause,” a commonly framework for determining whether employee discipline is supported by just cause. They are:

1. Was the employee adequately warned that the conduct could result in discipline?
2. Was the employer’s rule or order reasonably related to the efficient and safe operation of the workplace?
3. Did the employer make a reasonable effort to determine whether the employee actually violated the rule or expectation?
4. Was the investigation conducted fairly and objectively?
5. Did the investigation produce substantial evidence that the employee was responsible for the violation?
6. Has the employer applied its rules and discipline consistently?
7. Was the level of discipline reasonably related to the seriousness of the offense and the employee’s record?

Huppert was hired as a patrol deputy on Aug. 19, 2019. At that time, her job title was patrol or patrol floater under the sheriff’s supervision. She signed the following Oath of Honor: “"On my honor, I will never betray my profession, my integrity, my character or the public trust. I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for our actions. I will always uphold the laws of my country, my community and the agency I service.”

Huppert became the Drug Abuse Resistance Education officer in Pierce County in August 2022. She was certified to teach the D.A.R.E. curriculum for grades K-5 but primarily taught fifth graders the 12-week program.

What’s next for DARE?

Koranda said while a separate, formal DARE Officer job description did not exist, the officer was still subject to the expectations and duties associated with the position and the Sheriff’s Office.

“The DARE Officer is expected to perform the DARE curriculum and related school responsibilities during the school year, while also remaining a member of the Sheriff’s Office and subject to the applicable patrol/job expectations when not performing the specific DARE assignment,” Koranda said. “There has not been a specific requirement established that the DARE Officer must spend a particular number of hours in the schools every week, nor has there been a separate set number of hours established for the summer months. This is one of the areas we are working to clarify as we revise the DARE Officer job description and expectations. The position has very unique responsibilities that do not necessarily follow the normal schedule or time requirements of a patrol position.”

Koranda said he and the department are working on revising the DARE Officer job description to provide clearer expectations and accountability for the assignment, including responsibilities while in the schools, expectations outside of the school year, scheduling, and how the assignment fits within the overall Sheriff’s Office job responsibilities.

He also congratulated Chris Thibado, who has been selected to take on the role.

“His responsibilities will extend beyond the traditional DARE assignment. In addition to his work with our schools and DARE programming, Chris will be responsible for coordinating and overseeing our community engagement events, including programs such as Shop with a Cop and Badges & Bobbers, as well as our Peer Support Program.

“The goal is to create a broader community and outreach role within the Sheriff’s Office while also providing clear expectations for the DARE assignment. The revised job description will help establish those responsibilities and expectations going forward.”