'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former police chief Eric Pratt, who left his profession and later played a significant part as a patrol officer in the 2021 traffic stop of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie, is accused of making death threats against a Utah woman.
Reportedly, the woman claimed that Eric Pratt planned to crush her with a crowbar after she threatened to reveal intimate aspects of their 2017 romance in public.
Nichole Schmidt, Petito’s mother, said:
"If the officer responding to Gabby’s situation is an abuser himself who would threaten a girlfriend’s life, it makes sense why he believed Gabby’s abuser and ignored her injuries. With him in charge, I don’t think Gabby stood a chance."
Gabby Petito's parents claim Eric Pratt was biased against their daughter
A lawsuit was filed on Thursday, alleging that one of the police officers who questioned Gabby Petito in Moab, weeks before she was killed by her boyfriend, was "fundamentally biased" against her. As a result, the officer misjudged the dangers she faced.
According to lawyers defending Petito's parents in the case, the officer, Eric Pratt, allegedly threatened to kill a woman after their relationship ended while he was the police chief of a different town in Utah.
Reportedly, the lawyers asserted that when Pratt spoke with the couple, he was more sympathetic towards Petito's boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, and his behavior can be explained by the aforementioned incident.
The latest claims of bias include Nichole Schmidt and Joseph Petito's upcoming lawsuit, which suggests the Moab police should have acted to safeguard their daughter. The claims suggest that the Moab police should have taken Petitio's worries seriously in a case that has now garnered attention from all over the world.
On August 12, 2017, Moab police stopped Petito, a popular Instagram user, and her boyfriend after the first witness claimed to have seen Laundrie attack Petito.
However, an outside investigation by the department found that, among other irregularities, officers chose to separate the couple for the night. They decided to send them on their way with a warning rather than pressing charges for domestic violence against Laundrie, as required by Utah law.
The lawyers for Petito's parents claim that the cops disregarded the obvious indicators of domestic abuse that clearly suggested Petito was at risk of serious harm.
Gabby Petito's parents have now sued Moab police for $50 million, holding the chief, assistant chief, and both responding officers, including Eric Pratt, responsible. They have alleged wrongful death, failure to adequately train personnel on domestic violence, and officer negligence.
Reportedly, the parents revealed in a statement that they were confident Gabby Petito would still be alive today if the police had comprehended the law and the dangers.
