Peterson charged with weapons violation

Former Bolingbrook police Sgt. Drew Peterson turned himself in to police Wednesday on a weapons charge unrelated to the disappearance of his wife.

Peterson was released after an adult son posted 10 percent of a $75,000 bond. Peterson left the Will County jail without commenting on the warrant, which was issued Tuesday.

The weapon, a semiautomatic rifle, was one of 11 seized during a search of Peterson's home Nov. 1, shortly after Stacy Peterson disappeared in late October, authorities said. Illinois State Police said the rifle's barrel was too short under Illinois law.

Peterson attorney Joel Brodsky said Peterson still was a police officer when the weapon was seized and officers are exempt from the length provision of the law. Peterson retired from the force about two weeks after Stacy Peterson's disappearance.

Will County State's Attorney spokesman Chuck Pelkie refused to say whether police are exempt from the law but said the charge against Peterson was valid and appropriate.

"An illegal weapon might be put back on the street and we can't let that happen," Pelkie said.

Brodsky said the arrest was part of an effort by the state police to harass Peterson.

"Any inconvenience they can cause him, so much the better," Brodsky said as he waited outside the jail. "They might believe it's a tactic to shake him up."

Police also are investigating the death of Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio. She was found dead in a bathtub in 2004 and her death initially ruled an accident.

After Stacy Peterson disappeared, Savio's body was exhumed and an autopsy determined she was the victim of a homicide. Peterson has not been named a suspect in her death.

The investigation into Stacy Peterson's disappearance has drawn worldwide media attention. Authorities have said they believe she is dead, and extensive searches have been conducted in forests, marshes, lakes and other areas in suburban Chicago.

Illinois State Police Sgt. Thomas Burek denied that the gun charge was an attempt to harass Peterson.

Separately, he said the investigations into Stacy Peterson's disappearance and Savio's death are "going well."

"We're moving methodically," Burek said. "We're confident that (the investigations) will result in an arrest."

The felony gun charge, unlawful use of a weapon, carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.

Brodsky has been trying for months to convince a judge to order the Illinois State Police to return the seized weapons to Peterson. The judge already ordered police to return Peterson's vehicles and other belongings.

A court hearing was scheduled today on a proposal from Brodsky that ownership of the guns be transferred from Peterson to his adult son.