Drew Peterson ready for fourth divorce

BOLINGBROOK — Drew Peterson says he is ready for divorce number four.

“Yeah, but I don’t think I can for a year or so,” Peterson said of his plans to split up with his missing wife, Stacy, who vanished more than three months ago.

The state police believe Stacy may have been killed and named Peterson as their only suspect in the investigation. Peterson, for his part, has consistently maintained that his wife absconded with a secret lover. And now he is tired of waiting for her to come back.

“She ran off with another guy,” Peterson said. “It’s that simple.”

What isn’t so simple is whether Peterson can divorce a woman who isn’t around.

“First we have to see if she shows up,” he said. “Then I think we have to wait for a year.”

A local attorney specializing in divorce cases but asked not to be named said this is not true. If Peterson wants to divorce his wife while she is not around, he needs only file an affidavit that he has made a reasonable, good faith effort to locate her and then publish his intention in a newspaper three times, the attorney said. If there is no response, he can file a motion for default and, if it is granted, pursue the divorce.

Then, the attorney said, “The court must essentially grant the divorce.”

Peterson already has attorney Joel Brodskey representing him while he remains under suspicion for his wife’s disappearance, but he said he might be interested in retaining Chicago attorney Corri Fetman, who is due to appear in Playboy magazine next month and has promoted her practice in a series of racy billboards.

“If she wants to go out for drinks, give me a call,” he said.

Pam Bosco, the spokeswoman for Stacy’s family, was once again baffled by Peterson’s behavior.

“It doesn’t surprise me that he’s making himself available,” she said. “That’s part of his whole mind set, that he’s out there and he’s dating again.”

Contact Joe Hosey at (815) 729-6054 or e-mail him at jhosey@scn1.com