GRAND COUNTY, Utah -- A father and son, both in positions of authority, are at the center of a scandal that's growing in Moab.
Now, police reports have been released detailing how a deputy allegedly tried to kill his dad over a shocking discovery. The reports can be viewed here, but some of the contents may be considered graphic by some readers.
The website "Talking Points Memo" posted the 13-page report where numerous officers offer accounts of the July 11 crime. One by one, they say the discovery of an affair fueled a drunken attack, then a suicide attempt.
The Brewer family is known for their high-profile positions in Moab-area emergency services.
On July 11 they gathered at Grand County Deputy T.J. Brewer’s home.
The family dinner ended with a massive domestic violence attack after the deputy discovered his wife allegedly having sex with the deputy's father, Corky Brewer, according to reports, which say the sexual encounter happened in one of the children's bedrooms.
Police reports say Deputy Brewer lost it and started to "beat the f--- out of his dad. He stated several times that he wanted to kill his dad, that he wanted his gun to finish the job."
Brewer allegedly pistol whipped his father and wife. According to the police reports, "TJ hit her, backhanded her, and pointed a handgun at her face."
After the alleged assault, everyone went home but the father and fire chief, Corky Brewer, who was about to continue where his son left off.
The police reports say, "Corky was apparently looking for a firearm and his wife, Cindy Brewer, denied him access to the firearm. Corky then grabbed a butcher knife and stabbed himself two times puncturing a lung and slicing his liver."
The narrative confirms what neighbors suspected for weeks.
One neighbor who didn’t want to be identified described the July 12 crime scene.
"A lot of police cars here early this morning, they've been here all morning going in and out of the house, don't get any information but I know something was going on," the neighbor said.
The reports say officers removed bloody clothes from Corky Brewer's trash cans, plus guns from the home. And police say the violence spilled over to the local hospital, where T.J. Brewer allegedly hit a cop, according to the documents.
"After T.J. heard his father was alive, he left to go to Moab Regional Hospital to finish him off."
Police arrested Deputy Brewer and later transported his father to a Grand Junction, Colorado hospital.
He's been released and Deputy Brewer has resigned.
"It does surprise me,” said Corky Brewer’s neighbor Stephanie Cluff.
On July 12 Cluff said, “The family is always very close. To hear that, we never seen anything like that, just a close family all together."
Initially T.J. Brewer was booked into the San Juan County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder, amongst other allegations. The charges actually filed were assault and assault of a police officer.
The Utah Attorney General’s Office is prosecuting the case to avoid conflicts of interest since the Brewer family has extensive ties to law enforcement, emergency services and local government. Deputy T.J. Brewer has a hearing scheduled Tuesday in Moab.
