Fired Bradenton police officer forced way into home, shoved ex, deputies say
A former Bradenton police officer was fired after investigators say she forced her way into a Palmetto home and shoved a former partner to the ground while off duty.
Quinlyn Parnau, 29, faces charges of burglary of an occupied dwelling and misdemeanor battery after her arrest last week. A newly obtained arrest report details allegations that Parnau cracked a home’s front door frame while forcing her way inside.
An attorney representing Parnau did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
At around 3 a.m. Wednesday, investigators say Parnau went to a home on 58th Way East in Palmetto, where her ex had been staying with a friend following the couple’s breakup. Investigators said the two lived together for about three years before separating.
Investigators said the victim did not want to speak with Parnau, who began pounding on the home’s windows and front door.
Fired officer broke into home, deputies say
Deputies wrote that Parnau struck the front door with enough force to crack the door frame and separate it from the drywall before forcing her way into the home. The homeowner told investigators that Parnau had not been invited inside.
Once inside, investigators said Parnau pushed the victim to the ground.
The victim did not appear to have visible injuries and declined to cooperate with investigators, deputies wrote.
The homeowner told investigators she did not want to pursue charges related to the damage to the door, according to the report.
Deputies with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office arrested Parnau on May 6. She was released from the Manatee County Jail the same day under supervised pretrial release conditions, according to court records.
As a condition of pretrial release, Circuit Judge Teri K. Dees ordered Parnau to have no contact with the victim or homeowner and to remain at least 500 feet away from them, their homes and workplaces, according to court records.
Court records show Parnau pleaded not guilty the following day and demanded a jury trial.
Bradenton Police Chief Josh Cramer announced Parnau’s firing the same day as her arrest.
“The community places its trust in the officers of the Bradenton Police Department, and any violation of that trust cannot be tolerated,” Cramer previously said in a statement released by the department. “We must hold our officers to a higher standard and have a zero-tolerance policy for any acts of domestic violence by those amongst our ranks.”
Parnau joined the department in 2020 and worked as a patrol officer, police said.
Parnau is the second Bradenton police officer fired over an off-duty arrest in recent weeks. Officer Nicolas Leeman was fired in April after being charged in Hillsborough County with felony child abuse after investigators say he drunkenly slammed his child into a car seat while off duty.
The sheriff’s office investigation remains ongoing. Parnau is next scheduled to appear in Manatee County court for an arraignment June 26, according to court records.
