DuPage judge upholds firing of Drew Peterson’s son
The village of Oak Brook had sufficient grounds to strip Drew Peterson’s son of his police badge based on his conduct after his father’s fourth wife went missing in 2007, a judge has ruled.
DuPage County Judge Terence Sheen upheld Stephen Peterson’s firing in a written decision Monday, saying it was “in no way arbitrary or unreasonable for (the village) to conclude that Officer Peterson exhibited conduct incompatible with continued service as a police officer.”
Oak Brook’s board of police and fire commissioners fired the younger Peterson in 2011 after he admitted taking three of his father’s firearms for safekeeping while the elder Peterson was under investigation in the disappearance of his fourth wife Stacy. Stephen Peterson also failed to tell investigators he accepted more than $200,000 in checks from his father, according to the village.
Peterson had asked a judge for a review, claiming he should not have lost his job. Separately, he’s filed a $10 million federal lawsuit against the village, which is pending.
Peterson has 30 days to appeal Monday’s ruling.