'Perverted' notes part of Peterson probe
TWINS DENY DATING A MISSING MOM, BUT SAID THEY 'FLIRTED' WITH HER
BOLINGBROOK -- Twin brothers testified to a grand jury about missing mom Stacy Peterson and one told of trading "perverted and flirty" text messages with the young woman.
Both twins -- male nurses Scott and Keith Rossetto -- denied any romantic entanglement with the 23-year-old Peterson, though Scott accused his brother of dating her for months and admitted himself to sending her lascivious messages.
"Some of the messages were quite perverted and flirty in nature, but it was all in fun," said Scott Rossetto, 35.
"I'm the first to admit I'm a flirt," he said. "Always have been."
The object of his flirtation now has been missing for 26 days. Police have called the investigation a "potential homicide" and labeled Stacy's husband, recently retired police Sgt. Drew Peterson, a suspect in the case.
Scott Rossetto does not believe he is a suspect himself, although he says a prosecutor asked him if he was in a relationship with Stacy Peterson or if he "did anything" to her.
Twin brother Keith, who Scott said dated Stacy for more than two months before joining the Army two days before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, denied having a romantic liaison with the then 17-year-old.
"We were kind of in the getting-to-know-you phase," Keith Rossetto said of his relationship with Stacy.
Keith Rossetto was at a loss as to why he was called before the grand jury.
"I honestly don't know," he said. "It was probably more of a character witness. They asked me what I knew of Drew, what I knew of her."
Savio drowned in a bathtub in March 2004 and was discovered after ex-husband Drew Peterson attempted to return their two sons from a weekend visitation. The death was first ruled an accident, but the disappearance of Stacy Peterson prompted police to reopen the case.
Savio's body since has been exhumed from its grave and a pair of autopsies were performed on it. Carcerano said he was asked questions about both Savio and Stacy Peterson.
A source said one of Peterson's sons, Oak Brook police Officer Steve Peterson, testified as well.
"I didn't like him, I can tell you that," he said of the former cop who was 47 when he got engaged to the 17-year-old Stacy.
"It was like he was trying to impress me that he was a Bolingbrook cop and he was on a special team or whatever," Keith Rossetto said.
Keith Rossetto said he hung around with Stacy while she worked the late shift at SpringHill Suites motel on Remington Boulevard. They generally talked and smoked cigarettes, he said.
It was at the motel that he met Drew Peterson, who he said stopped in while on duty and chatted up the teenage desk clerk.
"I told her she should call a lawyer," he said.
Despite Rossetto's effort to downplay their relationship, sources close to the investigation say investigators believe Rossetto and Peterson had more than an innocent flirtation.
One source said their text messages allegedly included detailed descriptions of sex acts, and that they asked each other whether they enjoyed it.
Based on the content of their messages, investigators believe the two were having an affair, sources said.
Stacy Peterson had told her husband of the Denny's plans and they argued about it, Scott Rossetto said. But when Drew Peterson arrived, he was quiet and subdued in manner.
"He asked me how I would feel if it was my wife," Scott Rossetto said.
Despite their frequent phone calls and sexually charged text messages, Scott Rossetto said he was not tempted to dive into an adulterous affair with Stacy.
"She was a married woman," Scott Rossetto said. "She was married to a Bolingbrook police officer. I didn't need that kind of misery."
Contact Joe Hosey at (815) 729-6054 or jhosey@scn1.com Janet Lundquist contributed to this story.
