Peterson neighbor: 'I fear for my life'

BOLINGBROOK -- Tensions on Pheasant Chase Court escalated as a second police report was filed in the past five days, and one resident says her life is in jeopardy.

"I fear for my life," said Sharon Bychowski, the best friend and next-door neighbor of missing mom Stacy Peterson.

Stacy's husband, Drew Peterson, is still in the house and Bychowski said that is why she is scared.

State police named Peterson a suspect in his wife's disappearance and have called the case a "potential homicide." State police also are revisiting the mysterious March 2004 apparent bathtub drowning of his previous wife, Kathleen Savio, a death they initially found to be accidental.

In the aftermath of Stacy's disappearance, Savio's body was exhumed for additional examination and a forensic pathologist determined she was the victim of a homicide, contradicting the opinion of the state police.

Bychowski said that alone was enough to make her nervous, but Tuesday she was flat out scared.

"In the event that anything happens to me, I want the public to know I fear for my life," Bychowski said. "I feel closer to Stacy and Kathleen than ever."

Bychowski's recent trepidation was induced by Peterson's newfound and brief ability to open and close her garage door at will.

Peterson reclaimed his two cars from the state police Tuesday morning. Inside the cars he found three garage door openers. One was programmed to open Bychowski's garage. Drew said he was unaware of this until he hit the button and Bychowski's garage opened.

Bychowski said she gave Stacy the opener so she could store items there for a garage sale. She says she told the state police of the opener and that she believed it was in Peterson's home. Somehow, they failed to find it.

"They said they searched the car," she said. "They looked in the car. It was not in there. They looked in the house, it was not in there."

Bychowski's son, Roy Taylor, was skeptical of Peterson's account.

"I physically watched him look at the house and hit the button," he said. Bychowski then called the police, and two officers responded.

"They were sneaking up on me, like they were going to catch me doing something," Peterson said.

The officers asked Peterson to surrender the opener, and even offered to replace it, said police Lt. Ken Teppel, but he refused, claiming it belonged to him.

The matter was recorded in a police report, the second since Friday, when Peterson's attorney, Joel Brodsky, said Taylor was harassing and threatening Peterson via the Internet. Police spoke to Bychowski and Taylor, but took no action. Taylor denies Brodsky's allegations.

Taylor said he reprogrammed his mother's garage door opener Tuesday to keep Peterson from fiddling with it, but Bychowski said she wanted a restraining order against Peterson.

"Then I'll get one on her and Roy," said Peterson, who also spoke of his wish to leave the bad blood in his subdivision behind, if only he could.

"What am I supposed to do?" Peterson asked, explaining his missing wife's name is on the title to their home.

"I can't move," he said. "Stacy owns the house."