US Politics | Huge Gabby Petito update as cop who ‘bungled’ traffic stop & left her vulnerable is PROMOTED by Moab PD & 2 others quit
ONE of the Utah cops involved in Gabby Petito and Brain Laundrie's ...bungled' traffic stop has been ...promoted' within the Moab Police Department, The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal. Next month marks a year since the 22-year-old YouTuber was reported missing and later found murdered following a cross-country trip with her killer fiancé. 
Eric Pratt was among the officers who dealt with the Gabby and Brian traffic stop 
Officers from the local police department out and about in Moab in AugustMATTHEW SYMONS FOR THE U.S. SUN 
Eric Pratt (second from right) in a recent photo shared by Moab PD on FacebookFacebook Weeks before she was discovered, she was pulled over by police in the small town of Moab, after a witness reported seeing Brian allegedly slap Gabby during an argument on August 12, 2021. In body-cam footage released of the incident, police decided Gabby was the aggressor after she admitted to causing marks on Brian's face, but failed to do more than separate them for the night. Gabby Petito 
CRUCIAL SIGNS Gabby Petito 'feared for her life' as new clues emerge a year after Moab vid 
FIGHT FOR JUSTICE Gabby Petito's family's $50M lawsuit against cops could force huge change An independent investigation into how the police handled the couple's dispute found the officers who responded, Eric Pratt and Daniel Robbins, made ...several unintentional mistakes.... They allegedly misclassified it as more of a ...mental health break' after being confronted with sobbing young Gabby who suffered from anxiety, and failed to document any injury she suffered. The investigative report also found that a statement was never obtained from the original 911 caller who claimed Brian hit Gabby, with Pratt writing in his report: ...No one reported that the male struck the female.... Pratt and Robbins are now among a number of defendants set to be named in a pending wrongful suit filed by Gabby's family, who plan to seek $50million in damages. The notice of intent to file, which is required before suing government entities, also lists its then-chief Bret Edge, and ex\-assistant chief Braydon Palmer. Brian Stewart, an attorney for the family, said officers ...failed to properly investigate the reported domestic assault, and thus failed to fully appreciate or respond to Gabby's life-threatening situation.... Most read in News SEARCH ENDS Missing hiker, 29, found after being swept to her death in Utah flash floods RAINING HELL Terrifying moment flesh-melting 'thermite bombs' rain down on Ukrainian town HAUNTING CALL Chilling words of missing woman, 22, before she vanished revealed by family TRAGIC MEMORIES Kiely Rodni's family are trying to sell lodge where teen was raised HEARTBREAKING FIND Tragic death of missing teen Kiely Rodni, 16, confirmed after body found DEATH TO THE WEST Russia threatens West with nuclear war & vows to prepare BOMB SHELTERS The U.S. Sun can reveal that since the incident last year, officer Pratt has moved into a detective role, and has been in the position for a number of months. A photo posted to Moab PD's Facebook page last week also shows him in his detective uniform \- as he gathers with colleagues in the first image of him since the department was thrust into the national spotlight. Research shows moving from officer to detective is not always a promotion, although they are often in charge of cases, have a lot more responsibility, and take on undercover duties. They have to have worked as an officer for a number of years and completed the correct training necessary to move up. They may or may not be paid more. Pratt previously revealed he makes around $25 per hour, according to the independent review, whereas a detective in Moab typical makes between $30 and $37 per hour. The U.S. Sun visited the town to hear from residents about the police department's decision to give Pratt a detective role, and if they feel change is being made. Danielle Hunt, store manager at Nature's West, was angry, saying: ...I did hear that one of the officers got promoted. That's honestly going in the wrong direction in my opinion. ...That's the worst thing that 'they ' could have done, promote somebody that f***ed up, are you kidding me? 
Former police chief Bret Edge has since quit the Moab Police DepartmentInstagram 
Sobbing Gabby, 22, says Brian Laundrie grabbed her face leaving her with painful scratches in a harrowing police vid 
Gabby's family are set to sue the Moab Police Department in coming monthsMATTHEW SYMONS FOR THE U.S. SUN ...I was flabbergasted by it. I don't believe it should have happened. ...I don't know if Gabby's family has gotten wind 'of Pratt's new role ', but I feel like that would've pushed me to file a lawsuit. Like, what are you doing? I'd be furious.... Resident Barbara Lawley, 62, revealed she has regularly seen Pratt around town, usually in a local cafe where he stops by during the week for a coffee. She suspected he was a detective and later confirmed his role after a friend dealt with him in a drugs investigation, telling her he was working in plain clothes. Barbara said she later ...looked him up... as locals are told little about their police department and realized he was involved in the Gabby and Brian traffic stop, questioning why he previously moved from Salina as a police chief to work as a regular patrol officer. She said she finds his ...promotion,' which is now listed on LinkedIn, as ...strange,... adding that he ...shouldn't be rewarded... and she can't understand why he made any mistakes considering he had more than a decade of experience. Barbara feels the police should have arrested either Gabby or Brian during the stop as they both had injuries, saying: ...They need more training if they don't know the law.... Moab resident Sarah McFarland, 40, was also unhappy about Pratt's new role, saying: ...That's ridiculous if you ask me, I didn't know, as locals we know very little.... She explained in the store she works in they have had thefts and a customer using counterfeit money, but waited a long time for an officer to attend, saying: ...The only thing I ever see them do is block roads when something's going on. That's about it.... Sarah added that she was pleased the department has hired a new police chief, Jared Garcia, but many locals are yet to meet him after he started in May, while the majority of business owners in the town told The U.S. Sun they had only seen him in local media. JOB STRESS He admitted in an interview with KUTV 2News that he has his work cut out for him when it comes to hiring due to the local housing crisis \- and a number of positions are still open. Moab Police Department, which was accused of withholding body-cam footage of Gabby and Brian, has also advertised for a domestic violence specialist following the independent review. Pratt, 40, previously opened up about his career in a podcast episode, revealed by The U.S Sun, in which he discussed how police work ...doesn't pay enough... for the kind of stress he's under working 10 hours a day. He said there were many reasons he became ...disillusioned... with the police chief job in Salina, saying he had to think more about legislation and how politics affected his department. Pratt, who has also owned a restaurant in Utah, quit the force for some time before returning to Moab PD. But he admitted they still have issues in the investigative report, stating: ...ALL these calls are important. If I had my way, I'd spend as much time as I needed on every call to make sure every call worked out right but…. we don't have the staff. I'm not blaming the department, but we don't have the staff.... The population of Moab is reportedly around 5,000 people, while tourism brings in more than 3 million visitors every year, according to a 2019 survey, and is said to have increased. Detective Pratt appears to keep a fairly low profile these days and has locked his social media, after admitting to investigators he's ...desperately f***ed over... Gabby was murdered by Brian, 23. ...I really am. I would have done anything to stop it if I would have known that was coming,... he said, according to emotional testimony featured in a 100-page independent review. ...I accept responsibility for it but I don't want anyone to think that I did not care. I am devastated about it. I cared that day and I still care.... According to details in the notice of intent to file from Gabby's family lawyer, Pratt's colleague Robbins, who was fairly new to the department last year, is also still in his post as an officer. The U.S. Sun reached out to Moab Police to discuss how they have made changes amid the backlash, and to comment on the officers still with the department. But Lisa Church, Moab's communications and engagement manager, simply replied: ...The City will not be commenting or giving interviews on pending litigation.... In the report released in January, Capt. Brandon Ratcliffe with the Price City Police Department concluded Pratt and Robbins should be placed on probation. Moab Police is refusing to confirm whether or not they ever were put on probation. INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION ...I believe the officers responded to a domestic violence call and had probable cause an act of domestic violence had been committed,... Ratcliffe wrote. ...This should have meant an arrest was made, either by citation or custody.... Local resident Danielle, 23, told The U.S. Sun she doesn't think the officers should have been fired, but they should have been placed on probation and given extra training. ...There was only so much that they could have done, but also they f***ed up, so they need to pay the price for that,... she said. Sgt. Braydon Palmer, who was temporarily thrown into the role of acting chief while Edge was on sick leave, has since relocated to St. George Police Department in Utah and lives in the area, according to online records. Edge, who briefly returned to the department as chief in January, has since quit, and is now focusing on his passion as a photographer and writer for travel websites. He was reportedly paid $192,497 in salary and benefits in 2021, and criticized in a FOX 13 Investigates report for promoting his side hustle while claiming sick pay for four months last year. According to Fox, city policies require employees to declare what's called ...outside employment,... but he allegedly never did, while his employee handbook also states that he could not use city paid sick leave to perform work on the side. The former police chief, who now lists himself on Twitter as a ...professional adventure and nature photographer/writer in Moab... seems to have shrugged off the scandal. And after a storm and flooding in the town this month, he appeared to be more than relieved he's no longer with the department, as he joked in an Instagram Story. Edge wrote: ...Massive flood in #Moab last night & for the first time in 16 years, it was somebody else's problem. So happy I'm not w/ the PD anymore!... The U.S. Sun reached out to Edge for comment on his life since leaving the force, but did not hear back. Petito's body was found in Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming on September 19 last year. Gabby Petito 
MISSED CHANCE Seven shock moments from Gabby Petito bodycam that saw cops make key errors 
GABBY COPS SUED Gabby Petito's family file $50M lawsuit against police over traffic stop Authorities claimed she had died at least three weeks earlier, and autopsy results showed it was a homicide by ...manual strangulation.... Brian fled and was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Florida's Carlton Reserve in the October. He admitted in a suicide note that he killed Gabby, but claimed she had been suffering from an injury and refused for him to get help. 
Barbara Lawley, the manager of 4 Moon, in Moab, UtahMATTHEW SYMONS FOR THE U.S. SUN 
Officers blocking a road in Moab, Utah after a recent storm this monthMATTHEW SYMONS FOR THE U.S. SUN 
Braydon Palmer is among the officers who shall be named in the Petito family lawsuit
Eric Pratt was among the officers who dealt with the Gabby and Brian traffic stop Officers from the local police department out and about in Moab in AugustMATTHEW SYMONS FOR THE U.S. SUN Eric Pratt (second from right) in a recent photo shared by Moab PD on FacebookFacebook Weeks before she was discovered, she was pulled over by police in the small town of Moab, after a witness reported seeing Brian allegedly slap Gabby during an argument on August 12, 2021. In body-cam footage released of the incident, police decided Gabby was the aggressor after she admitted to causing marks on Brian's face, but failed to do more than separate them for the night. Gabby Petito CRUCIAL SIGNS Gabby Petito 'feared for her life' as new clues emerge a year after Moab vid FIGHT FOR JUSTICE Gabby Petito's family's $50M lawsuit against cops could force huge change An independent investigation into how the police handled the couple's dispute found the officers who responded, Eric Pratt and Daniel Robbins, made ...several unintentional mistakes.... They allegedly misclassified it as more of a ...mental health break' after being confronted with sobbing young Gabby who suffered from anxiety, and failed to document any injury she suffered. The investigative report also found that a statement was never obtained from the original 911 caller who claimed Brian hit Gabby, with Pratt writing in his report: ...No one reported that the male struck the female.... Pratt and Robbins are now among a number of defendants set to be named in a pending wrongful suit filed by Gabby's family, who plan to seek $50million in damages. The notice of intent to file, which is required before suing government entities, also lists its then-chief Bret Edge, and ex\-assistant chief Braydon Palmer. Brian Stewart, an attorney for the family, said officers ...failed to properly investigate the reported domestic assault, and thus failed to fully appreciate or respond to Gabby's life-threatening situation.... Most read in News SEARCH ENDS Missing hiker, 29, found after being swept to her death in Utah flash floods RAINING HELL Terrifying moment flesh-melting 'thermite bombs' rain down on Ukrainian town HAUNTING CALL Chilling words of missing woman, 22, before she vanished revealed by family TRAGIC MEMORIES Kiely Rodni's family are trying to sell lodge where teen was raised HEARTBREAKING FIND Tragic death of missing teen Kiely Rodni, 16, confirmed after body found DEATH TO THE WEST Russia threatens West with nuclear war & vows to prepare BOMB SHELTERS The U.S. Sun can reveal that since the incident last year, officer Pratt has moved into a detective role, and has been in the position for a number of months. A photo posted to Moab PD's Facebook page last week also shows him in his detective uniform \- as he gathers with colleagues in the first image of him since the department was thrust into the national spotlight. Research shows moving from officer to detective is not always a promotion, although they are often in charge of cases, have a lot more responsibility, and take on undercover duties. They have to have worked as an officer for a number of years and completed the correct training necessary to move up. They may or may not be paid more. Pratt previously revealed he makes around $25 per hour, according to the independent review, whereas a detective in Moab typical makes between $30 and $37 per hour. The U.S. Sun visited the town to hear from residents about the police department's decision to give Pratt a detective role, and if they feel change is being made. Danielle Hunt, store manager at Nature's West, was angry, saying: ...I did hear that one of the officers got promoted. That's honestly going in the wrong direction in my opinion. ...That's the worst thing that 'they ' could have done, promote somebody that f***ed up, are you kidding me? Former police chief Bret Edge has since quit the Moab Police DepartmentInstagram Sobbing Gabby, 22, says Brian Laundrie grabbed her face leaving her with painful scratches in a harrowing police vid Gabby's family are set to sue the Moab Police Department in coming monthsMATTHEW SYMONS FOR THE U.S. SUN ...I was flabbergasted by it. I don't believe it should have happened. ...I don't know if Gabby's family has gotten wind 'of Pratt's new role ', but I feel like that would've pushed me to file a lawsuit. Like, what are you doing? I'd be furious.... Resident Barbara Lawley, 62, revealed she has regularly seen Pratt around town, usually in a local cafe where he stops by during the week for a coffee. She suspected he was a detective and later confirmed his role after a friend dealt with him in a drugs investigation, telling her he was working in plain clothes. Barbara said she later ...looked him up... as locals are told little about their police department and realized he was involved in the Gabby and Brian traffic stop, questioning why he previously moved from Salina as a police chief to work as a regular patrol officer. She said she finds his ...promotion,' which is now listed on LinkedIn, as ...strange,... adding that he ...shouldn't be rewarded... and she can't understand why he made any mistakes considering he had more than a decade of experience. Barbara feels the police should have arrested either Gabby or Brian during the stop as they both had injuries, saying: ...They need more training if they don't know the law.... Moab resident Sarah McFarland, 40, was also unhappy about Pratt's new role, saying: ...That's ridiculous if you ask me, I didn't know, as locals we know very little.... She explained in the store she works in they have had thefts and a customer using counterfeit money, but waited a long time for an officer to attend, saying: ...The only thing I ever see them do is block roads when something's going on. That's about it.... Sarah added that she was pleased the department has hired a new police chief, Jared Garcia, but many locals are yet to meet him after he started in May, while the majority of business owners in the town told The U.S. Sun they had only seen him in local media. JOB STRESS He admitted in an interview with KUTV 2News that he has his work cut out for him when it comes to hiring due to the local housing crisis \- and a number of positions are still open. Moab Police Department, which was accused of withholding body-cam footage of Gabby and Brian, has also advertised for a domestic violence specialist following the independent review. Pratt, 40, previously opened up about his career in a podcast episode, revealed by The U.S Sun, in which he discussed how police work ...doesn't pay enough... for the kind of stress he's under working 10 hours a day. He said there were many reasons he became ...disillusioned... with the police chief job in Salina, saying he had to think more about legislation and how politics affected his department. Pratt, who has also owned a restaurant in Utah, quit the force for some time before returning to Moab PD. But he admitted they still have issues in the investigative report, stating: ...ALL these calls are important. If I had my way, I'd spend as much time as I needed on every call to make sure every call worked out right but…. we don't have the staff. I'm not blaming the department, but we don't have the staff.... The population of Moab is reportedly around 5,000 people, while tourism brings in more than 3 million visitors every year, according to a 2019 survey, and is said to have increased. Detective Pratt appears to keep a fairly low profile these days and has locked his social media, after admitting to investigators he's ...desperately f***ed over... Gabby was murdered by Brian, 23. ...I really am. I would have done anything to stop it if I would have known that was coming,... he said, according to emotional testimony featured in a 100-page independent review. ...I accept responsibility for it but I don't want anyone to think that I did not care. I am devastated about it. I cared that day and I still care.... According to details in the notice of intent to file from Gabby's family lawyer, Pratt's colleague Robbins, who was fairly new to the department last year, is also still in his post as an officer. The U.S. Sun reached out to Moab Police to discuss how they have made changes amid the backlash, and to comment on the officers still with the department. But Lisa Church, Moab's communications and engagement manager, simply replied: ...The City will not be commenting or giving interviews on pending litigation.... In the report released in January, Capt. Brandon Ratcliffe with the Price City Police Department concluded Pratt and Robbins should be placed on probation. Moab Police is refusing to confirm whether or not they ever were put on probation. INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION ...I believe the officers responded to a domestic violence call and had probable cause an act of domestic violence had been committed,... Ratcliffe wrote. ...This should have meant an arrest was made, either by citation or custody.... Local resident Danielle, 23, told The U.S. Sun she doesn't think the officers should have been fired, but they should have been placed on probation and given extra training. ...There was only so much that they could have done, but also they f***ed up, so they need to pay the price for that,... she said. Sgt. Braydon Palmer, who was temporarily thrown into the role of acting chief while Edge was on sick leave, has since relocated to St. George Police Department in Utah and lives in the area, according to online records. Edge, who briefly returned to the department as chief in January, has since quit, and is now focusing on his passion as a photographer and writer for travel websites. He was reportedly paid $192,497 in salary and benefits in 2021, and criticized in a FOX 13 Investigates report for promoting his side hustle while claiming sick pay for four months last year. According to Fox, city policies require employees to declare what's called ...outside employment,... but he allegedly never did, while his employee handbook also states that he could not use city paid sick leave to perform work on the side. The former police chief, who now lists himself on Twitter as a ...professional adventure and nature photographer/writer in Moab... seems to have shrugged off the scandal. And after a storm and flooding in the town this month, he appeared to be more than relieved he's no longer with the department, as he joked in an Instagram Story. Edge wrote: ...Massive flood in #Moab last night & for the first time in 16 years, it was somebody else's problem. So happy I'm not w/ the PD anymore!... The U.S. Sun reached out to Edge for comment on his life since leaving the force, but did not hear back. Petito's body was found in Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming on September 19 last year. Gabby Petito MISSED CHANCE Seven shock moments from Gabby Petito bodycam that saw cops make key errors GABBY COPS SUED Gabby Petito's family file $50M lawsuit against police over traffic stop Authorities claimed she had died at least three weeks earlier, and autopsy results showed it was a homicide by ...manual strangulation.... Brian fled and was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Florida's Carlton Reserve in the October. He admitted in a suicide note that he killed Gabby, but claimed she had been suffering from an injury and refused for him to get help. Barbara Lawley, the manager of 4 Moon, in Moab, UtahMATTHEW SYMONS FOR THE U.S. SUN Officers blocking a road in Moab, Utah after a recent storm this monthMATTHEW SYMONS FOR THE U.S. SUN Braydon Palmer is among the officers who shall be named in the Petito family lawsuit
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