WINTER HAVEN -- A well known Florida law enforcement officer has responded to the way a couple of other agencies handled aspects of the Gabby Petito case and the search for her fiance, Brian Laundrie.
Polk Sheriff Grady Judd told reporters that while he didn't want to "speculate based on news reports... that might be fictional," that "according to Florida law, "when (Petito) was a victim of domestic violence originally, (Laundrie) would have been arrested." That appears to be a reference to the incident in Moab, Utah August 12th, in which police separated the couple for the night but made no arrrests.
Judd went on to say that "When (Laundrie) showed up with her car and (Petito) was noplace to be found, we would never have let him out of our custody that day." The sheriff is not a part of the Petito investigation.
The sheriff responded to the question at a news conference concerning a month-long investigation into people possessing and sharing child pornography, called "Operation Guardians of Innocence VII," carried out by undercover detectives. 16 people were arrested, four of whom are under 18 themselves. One is a student at Mulberry High School.
The investigation led to two Winter Haven men being charged with sexual battery of three children. Detectives searched the home of 32-year-old Harrison Egbert and found more than 1,000 images. They say Egbert admitted making videos and photographs of the crimes with 30-year-old David Lavin, who detectives say also admitted transporting the victim to Egbert's home.
Two women, 30-year-old Ivonnette Leon and 36-year-old Shannon Speller were accused of being accessories after the fact. Leon is also accused of tampering with the victim/witness.
Photo: NPPD