OFFICERS who handled a traffic stop involving Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie made “several unintentional mistakes,” a new report reveals.
A review of the August 12 traffic stop found officers “failed to cite Ms Petito for domestic violence,” which led to other mistakes by the officers, according to the report.
2
2
The 100-page document details the Moab City Police Department’s handling of a dispute between Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito in Utah, weeks before she was murdered in Wyoming.
The investigation by an outside agency came after a formal complaint was filed with the police department amid a slew of criticism against the officers who responded to the call, claiming they treated Petito as the abuser, rather than the victim.
While revealing that Petito should’ve been cited for domestic violence, the City of Moab Utah wrote in the report: “The City acknowledges that this finding may raise questions, and the issue is examined extensively in the investigative report.”
Brian named ‘the victim’
The investigation found there was probable cause to arrest Gabby during the traffic stop, and that Brian Laundrie was the victim in the incident.
“As it relates to the primary duty of law enforcement while responding to a domestic violence call, the officers protected the victim by separating Brian from Gabby; however, I do not find that they enforced the law,” the report says.
Police were asked to respond to a situation involving Laundrie and Gabby by a man who called 911 to report that he’d seen a man “hitting and slapping” a girl before getting into a van and driving away.
The new report released on January 12 says that police never obtained a statement from the original 911 caller during the investigation.
It was recommended that both officers be placed on probation or have it be extended.
Additional suggestions included a review of the department’s field training, more training on report writing, and an update to applicable policy that would require photographs of injuries of all involved in such an incident.
The Sun contacted the Moab City Police Department for comment and the city pointed to the cover of the report, which includes its response to the investigative review.
“Based on the report’s findings, the City of Moab believes our officers showed kindness, respect and empathy in their handling of this incident,” the statement read.
It also detailed some of the recommendations for the police department, including additional training for domestic violence investigations, legal training to ensure officers understand state law, among other steps.
Exchanges with police
The report included some conversations Gabby and Laundrie had with officers on the day of the traffic stop.
One complaint that led to the investigation reads: “An officer appears to carefully and deliberately “coach” Gabby Petito to answer questions regarding intent in a manner that would allow the officer to avoid issuing her a citation or arrest.”
The officer was said to have told Gabby that he had a question for her and “how” she answered would determine what happened next.
“Think very hard before you answer the question,” he reportedly told her.
He was quoted in the report as telling the investigator: “I do recall telling her to think about it because it’s important and I think that’s a fair thing to tell somebody.”
The officer then said, “I was afraid that she was going to say something that was going to make her go to jail. I didn’t want her to go to jail but I would have taken her to jail if she had said the other thing.
“And I don’t consider giving someone fair warning to think about their answer, because it’s an important question, to be coaching.”
Police department’s response
While the city told The Sun that police would not be speaking on the new report, the acting police chief addressed the traffic stop in October.
Moab Assistant Police Chief Braydon Palmer told CBS affiliate KUTV that the department was taking steps to improve following complaints over how it handled body camera footage tied to the incident.
Officer Daniel Robbins’ body camera video was released on September 16 while Officer Eric Pratt’s video was released two weeks later, on September 30, KUTV reported.
Meanwhile, Laundrie’s parents are fighting in court to access his estate, which would include $20,000 in his bank account and the notebook some think holds the secrets of Gabby Petito’s murder.
According to family attorney Steven Bertolino, once the FBI closes the case on Gabby’s murder and Brian’s death by suicide, “retained property will be returned to its owner.”
More to follow…
For the latest news on this story keep checking back at Sun Online.
The-sun.com is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sport news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheUSSun.
