Moab City Police Chief Bret Edge went out on Family Medical Leave on Monday, the city’s mayor’s office confirmed. Officials provided no information on how long he will be on leave or any other details.The Moab Police Department has recently been under scrutiny for an incident with their officers involving Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie. Petito talked to the Moab officers on Aug. 12, about a month before she was found dead in Bridger-Teton National Forest.
The Moab Police Department has been the subject of widespread public discussion and criticism ever since its officers deemed the situation between Petito and Laundrie a “mental health crisis” and not a domestic assault.
On Sept. 23, Moab officials announced the city would launch an investigation into how police handled the incident.
