Geneva politician arrested on DUI, handgun charges
A Geneva insurance agent who is running for city council faces charges of drunken driving and unlawful use of a weapon stemming from a June traffic stop in St. Charles, police said Thursday.
Mark J. Peterson, 51, announced plans to seek election to the 5th Ward in May. He is vice president of Pinnacle Insurance Agency in North Aurora and also on the board of directors for the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce.
According to police, Peterson was arrested about 10 p.m. June 14 after officers received a complaint that he was "weaving all over the roadway" in a Mercedes-Benz convertible with the top down. He was stopped on the 700 block of West Main Street, where police alleged he was found to be under the influence and in possession of a 9 mm handgun he wasn't authorized to carry and an open alcoholic beverage.
Peterson told police he was driving to his home on the 300 block of Woodward Avenue after attending a Kane County GOP event in the Elgin area, according to an arrest report. The report said he denied drinking any alcohol but refused sobriety tests. Officers described him as "thick-tongued" with glassy, bloodshot eyes.
While being arrested, police said Peterson told them he "was going to be a Geneva alderman in a few months." He went on to "drop" the names of several St. Charles and Kane County officials, although most of the officials he cited were no longer in the positions he mentioned, police said.
"I finally pointed out to him that if he was going to drop names, he should stay a little more current since none of these people were currently in those positions and hadn't been for some time," one officer wrote. "He then indicated he'd have to call his friend (Kane County State's Attorney) John Barsanti later."
On Thursday, police could not say why it took nearly a month to make the arrest report public. An official in the police records office said the department recently began using a new computer system and the transition has caused some delays in making reports available to the public.
According to the report, an unloaded handgun was discovered in a holster near Peterson's center console along with a spare magazine containing 13 live rounds of ammunition. Police said Peterson does not have a valid Firearm Owners Identification Card. He told them he carries the gun because "he sometimes has to go into neighborhoods that are not that nice," the report said. A cup containing an alcoholic beverage also was found in the car, police said.
Peterson, who has a July 17 court date, politely declined to comment when reached by phone Thursday. In all, he is charged with drunken driving, illegal transportation of alcohol, improper lane use and unlawful use of a weapon.
According to the state's attorney's office, Peterson has received multiple traffic tickets in Kane County and was accused of drunken driving in 1989.
Representatives at the chamber of commerce confirmed Thursday that Peterson serves on the board of directors but said they would wait until the outcome of his court case before deciding whether he will keep the seat.
Kane County GOP Chairman Mike Kenyon said he knows Peterson because the two go to the same gym. He described Peterson as a "good guy" and said it's important to remember the charges are merely allegations, not proof of guilt.
"I hope he comes out of this," Kenyon said. "If I lived in his town, I would support Mark Peterson."