ASHLEY BROGAN SAYS SHE WAS A
PRISONER... INSIDE THE TRAILER
WHERE SHE LIVED WITH HER ABUSIVE
BOYFRIEND AND HIS PARENTS.
WHEN SHE FINALLY TOLD WILLIE
HALE
SHE WAS LEAVING... HE DIDN'T LET
HER
GO ON HER OWN.
HE STABBED HER AND DRAGGED HER
OUT, INTO THE WOODS BY HER
HAIR.
WHAT HE DIDN'T KNOW IS A DEPUTY
SHERIFF WAS ON HIS WAY.
WSLS 10'S ANGELA HATCHER HAS THE
INCREDIBLE RESCUE... AS SEEN
BY THE DEPUTY THAT DAY.
ON AUGUST 29, 2015... ASHLEY
BROGAN TOLD WILLIE HALE SHE
WAS LEAVING HIM.
SHE CALLED HER MOM TO COME GET
HER... AND AS SOON AS SHE HUNG
UP...
WILLIE STABBED HER. HER PARENTS
GOT TEXT MESSAGES
FROM HER PHONE, TELLING THEM NOT
TO COME, BUT WORDS WEREN'T
SPELLED OUT LIKE ASHLEY WOULD
TYPE THEM... SO THEY KNEW THEY
WERE FROM WILLIE.
HER MOM CALLED POLICE... AND HER
DAD MET SGT. JEREMY GARDNER AT
THE HOME.
SGT. JEREMY GARDNER - "WHERE
COULD THEY HAVE GONE
SIR?"
GETTING NO STRAIGHT
ANSWER FROM THE SUSPECT'S
FATHER... AND FACING A PATH
THAT WAS ANYTHING BUT
STRAIGHT... SGT. JEREMY GARDNER
TAKES OFF FROM THE BACK PORCH OF
1284 BREEZY HILL ROAD.
SGT. JEREMY GARDNER - "I WASN'T
GOING TO LET ANY GRASS
GROW UNDERNEATH ME. I WAS
DETERMINED TO FIND THEM. I
KNEW THAT THEY HAD LEFT. I KNEW
THAT THEY HADN'T TAKEN A
VEHICLE. I
KNEW THAT THE ONLY PATH OF
TRAVEL THAT THEY COULD'VE TAKEN
WAS ON FOOT."
WEARING SHORTS TO GO ON BIKE
PATROL THAT LATE SUMMER
AFTERNOON... SGT.GARDNER WILL
USE HIS BARE LEGS, EYES AND
INTUITION TO GET THROUGH THE
DENSE WOODS IN FRONT OF HIM.
HIS BODY CAMERA CAPTURES EVERY
STEP. TWO MINUTES IN...
THERE'S AN OPEN CATTLE GATE.
SGT. JEREMY GARDNER - "I CAN
SEE WHERE SAPLINGS HAVE BEEN
FOLDED OVER, WHERE
EITHER A LARGE DEER OR PERSON OR
PERSONS HAD WALKED ALONG
THE PATH."
"I WOULD GET TO WHERE THERE
WOULD BE NO GRASS THERE'D
BE DIRT BUT THERE WASN'T ANY
SIGNS OF FOOTPRINTS."
"SO I WOULD COME TO A FORK AND I
WOULD HAVE TO FIGURE OUT
WHICH WAY DID THEY GO. IT WAS
EITHER ME WALKING TO A
POINT WHERE THERE WAS GRASS AND
I SHOULD BE ABLE
TO TELL WHETHER THERE WAS A
DISTURBANCE OR NOT OR I'D RUN
INTO A SPIDERWEB WILL CERTAINLY
IF
I'M RUNNING INTO SPIDERWEBS
NOBODY WENT THAT WAY. "
THINGS HE LEARNED TO LOOK FOR
HUNTING... NOT THROUGH
SOME ADVANCED TRAINING. HE'S NOT
LOOKING DOWN FOR BLOOD DROPS...
IN FACT HE DOESN'T EVEN
KNOW WILLIE HALE STABBED ASHLEY
BROGAN...
HE LOOKS OUT... AT THESE
WOODS... EVERY BIT A LABYRINTH.
SGT. JEREMY GARDNER - "EXACTLY
LIKE A MAZE. I'D COME TO AN END
I HAVE TO TURN AROUND
AND COME BACK. "
AFTER ROUGHLY NINE MINUTES OF
ROUGH TERRAIN AND DEAD ENDS...
SGT. JEREMY GARDNER - "I SEE
YOU!"
HE SEES ASHLEY BROGAN IS
ALIVE...
BUT NOT WELL... HER ATTACKER
TRYS TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE
SITUATION.
SGT. JEREMY GARDNER - "ON
YOUR KNEES. I DIDN'T DO
NOTHING! ASHLEY?" CUT TO
"I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU
AGAIN. STOP TALKING TO HER."
"HE'S TRYING TO TALK TO HER I'M
NOT HAVING IT.
SOUND OF HANDCUFFS
SGT. GARDNER PULLS THE KNIFE
FROM HALE'S POCKET. WITH
HALE IN HANDCUFFS AND ASHLEY
FAINT AND COVERED IN
BLOOD... HE RADIOS DISPATCH...
SGT. JEREMY GARDNER - "I'M GOING
TO NEED SOME
ASSISTANCE. IT'S GOING TO BE A
LONG WALK. JUST TRYING TO
FIGURE
OUT HOW I'M GOING TO DO THIS."
"IT WAS LOGISTICAL
NIGHTMARE FOR ME CUT TO I DON'T
KNOW HOW I'M GOING TO BE ABLE
TO GET HER OUT OF THERE I DON'T
KNOW HOW I'M GOING TO BE ABLE
TO COORDINATE RESCUE TO FIND
US."
"I KNOW THAT I'M NOT GOING TO
TRUST HIM JUST TO WALK OUT OF
THIS QUARTER MILE TRAIL WITH
ME."
"HE'S WALKING WITH ME I'VE GOT
MY HANDS ON HIM."
"BEDFORD, WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE
OUR WAY OUT AT THIS TIME. SHE'S
SAYING SHE CAN WALK NOW." YOU OK
MA'AM? I'D LIKE YOU TO
STAY A LITTLE BEHIND." A SAFE
DISTANCE FROM HALE...
"ASHLEY - TELL HIM!" "YOU'RE
BEING DETAINED. STOP TALKING
PLEASE."
"YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN
SILENT..."
THEY REACH THE YARD. SGT.
GARDNER GETS HALE INTO THE
PATROL CAR. AN AMBULANCE
ARRIVES. ASHLEY IS ABLE TO
SPEAK... WITHOUT WILLIE HALE
TELLING HER WHAT TO SAY OR
DO.
"HE TOLD ME WHEN YOU WAS
COMING, HE SAID SHHH! IF YOU
MOVE OR YOU SAY ANYTHING, HE
SAID I 'M GOING TO STAB YOU."
"HE SAID DON'T MOVE AND DON'T
SAY ANYTHING AND THEN HE PUT THE
KNIFE RIGHT THERE AND I KNEW
IF YOU WOULDN'T HAVE SAW US,
WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN."
SGT. JEREMY GARDNER - "I
COULD'VE NOT FOUND THEM. I
COULD'VE CAME TO A WALL OF
SPIDERWEBS IF YOU WILL AND
REALIZE THAT I WAS ON THE WRONG
PATH THE ENTIRE TIME AND
BEEN FOLLOWING SOME DEER."
WHETHER HE KNEW IT AT THE
TIME... SGT. GARDNER WAS ON THE
RIGHT PATH TO SAVE ASHLEY...
NOW SHE'S WELL ON HER WAY TO
SAVING HERSELF, AND SHE HOPES
OTHER WOMEN FROM DOMESTIC ABUSE.
ASHLEY BROGAN WAS ON BOARD WITH
THIS STORY AS SOON AS WE ASKED
AND WE SHOULD MENTION SHE GAVE
PERMISSION TO THE SHERIFF'S
OFFICE
TO RELEASE THE VIDEO OF HER TO
US.
SHE WANTED PEOPLE TO SEE IT,
TO SEE HIM... BECAUSE SHE WANTS
WHAT SHE WENT THROUGH TO
MATTER.
TONIGHT AT 11 WE'LL SHARE HER
REUNION WITH SGT GARDNER, AND
HER
PLANS TO ENCOURAGE OTHER WOMEN
WHO FEEL THEY DON'T HAVE
VOICE.