Police 'trying to harass' Drew?
A short-barreled assault rifle seized nearly seven months ago from Drew Peterson prompted authorities Thursday to file a felony weapons charge against the former Bolingbrook police officer.
Peterson's attorney promptly ripped the arrest as a heavy-handed attempt by state police to rattle the man who has been named a suspect in the October 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife.
"They are trying to harass him,'' said attorney Joel Brodsky as he criticized the timing of the arrest, which kept Peterson in police custody for about two hours before he posted $7,500 bail, provided by his son, Stephen.
Peterson was charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon for allegedly owning a Colt AR-15 assault rifle that lacked the minimum 16-inch-long barrel required under state gun laws.
"I find the circumstances very suspicious,'' Brodsky said.
Even a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation questioned the timing.
"Nobody had a ruler seven months ago?" the source said.
State police and Will County authorities defended the arrest as "legitimate'' even as they acknowledged that the court hearing on the weapons today helped spur the felony charge against Peterson.
"This is a legitimate charge; this is a valid charge,'' said Charles B. Pelkie, spokesman for Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow. "We do not want an illegal weapon to be put back on the streets.''
The gun charge means that even if state police are ordered to release the weapons, the AR-15 won't be turned over to Peterson's son, Stephen, a suburban police officer. Drew Peterson can't reclaim the guns himself because his firearm owners identification card has been revoked by state officials.
Though Peterson abruptly resigned from the department Nov. 15, he was still a police officer when the guns were removed from his home Nov. 1, Brodsky said.
"I hope the charges will be dropped,'' Brodsky said, adding: "It seems to me this was done very quickly at the last minute.''
One law enforcement source, however, said the gun's barrel was only about 11 inches long -- well short of the state limit. Another source, meanwhile, contended Peterson couldn't legally possess the AR-15 even when he was a police officer because he purchased the weapon privately.
A Bolingbrook police spokesman confirmed the weapon wasn't issued to Peterson while he was on the department's SWAT team. Peterson was issued an MP-5 submachine gun that was returned to the department after investigators removed it from Peterson's home in the fall, Lt. Ken Teppel said.
Peterson resigned from the department within weeks of the Oct. 28 disappearance of his fourth wife, 23-year-old Stacy Peterson. State police have named him a suspect in her disappearance. Authorities also are reviewing the 2004 bathtub drowning death of Kathleen Savio, Drew Peterson's third wife.
Indeed, the 54-year-old former police officer seemed in good spirits, joking with waiting reporters as he left the Will County Jail in Joliet.
Peterson was equally boisterous as he was driven into the jail sallyport in an unmarked squad car, laughing aloud as he was taken into the facility. Asked what he thought of his predicament, he said, "The usual."
Initially, Brodsky drove Peterson from his home to the Bolingbrook police station, where he surrendered to state police officers there. Peterson then was driven to the Will County Jail for booking, before being released about 3 p.m.
While in police custody, Peterson wasn't questioned about his fourth wife's disappearance or his third wife's death, Brodsky said.
