Bret Edge: Moab police chief goes on leave amid probe into Gabby Petito encounter
Moab City Police Department Chief Bret Edge is facing a backlash after reportedly taking a leave of absence amid a probe into the department's handling of a "domestic dispute" between Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie.
A city spokesperson confirmed to Fox News that Edge began his leave on Monday, September 27 under the Family Medical Leave Act, and it was unclear for how long he would be away from his post and who will replace him as interim chief as authorities continue to trace Laundrie's whereabouts in a massive manhunt. Several theories have emerged as to where he could be hiding. One theory claims he is in Alabama, while another says he is heading to Mexico or has already crossed the border. Another theory is that Laundrie made it out of the US mainland and is probably hiding in the Bahamas.
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Moab City officials announced an investigation into a “possible breach of police department policy” during the August 12 police stop outside of Arches National Park after reports of the couple being involved in a possible domestic assault incident at the Moonflower Community Cooperative. Authorities responded to reports of a man slapping a woman outside the co-op. Petito and Laundrie were subsequently seen on bodycam footage, talking to police as they held Petito as the primary aggressor and considered charges against her after noticing scratches on Laundrie's face. The department came under fire after they separated the couple for the night, but allowed them to resume their cross-country trip thereafter.
MEAWW previously reported how the release of the 911 dispatch audio from the August 12 episode put responding officers, Eric Pratt and Daniel Robbins, under scrutiny amid concerns they may have violated protocol when they did not arrest Laundrie during the stop. “RP (reporting party) states seeing a male hit a female, domestic. He got into a white Ford Transit van, has a black ladder on the back, Florida plate,” the dispatcher told police at around 4.38 pm local time, as per the audio, first obtained by the investigative unit at FOX 13 Utah.
The dispatch audio also showed that when a cop asked for the witness’ phone number and the victim's location, the dispatcher again insisted on the fact that the 23-year-old boyfriend of Petito had struck her. Responding at 4.42 pm, the dispatcher said, “phone number is [redacted], name’s [redacted]. I’m not sure [inaudible], but the female who got hit, they both, the male and the female, both got into the van and headed north.”
In the audio of the 911 call obtained by the Daily Mail, the male witness was heard telling a Grant County sheriff, “I'm right in the corner of Main Street by Moonflower and we are driving and I'd like to report a domestic dispute. Florida with a white van — Florida license plate, white van." He continued, “They just drove off. They're going towards Main Street. They made a right onto Main Street from Moonflower. We drove by him, a gentleman was slapping the girl.” When the sheriff asked, “He was slapping her?” The witness confirmed, “Yes. And then we stopped. They ran down and up the sidewalk. He proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car and they drove off.”
Petito was last seen about two weeks after the police stop and her murdered remains were found on September 19 in Wyoming. Laundrie, who returned to his home in Florida without his fiance in their van on September 1, is currently the subject of a huge manhunt. Last week, he was officially indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly using a debit card that belonged to Petito in Wyoming, just days after she vanished.