Chicago Area Local News

BOLINGBROOK, Ill. (CBS) ― Former Bolingbrook police sergeant Drew Peterson has been arrested and indicted for murder in connection with his third wife's death. He is being held on $20 million bail.

Peterson was charged in the death of Kathleen Savio, who was found dead in a dry bathtub in her home on March 1, 2004. Her death was originally ruled an accident, but was reclassified as a homicide after her body was exhumed for a new autopsy, following the disappearance of Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, in October 2007.

"The charge right now is the murder of Kathleen Savio," said Lt. Carl Anderson of the state police.

The arrest occurred shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday. Peterson's son arrived home from school, Peterson took the keys to the car he was driving from him and drove to a nearby intersection where the arrest took place.

"I guess I should have returned those library books," a hand-cuffed Peterson said Thursday evening as he was being led into state police headquarters.
Police took Peterson into custody at Weber and Lilly Cache roads during a traffic stop.

An eyewitness told CBS 2 Peterson was stopped at a red light and several police officers, some uniformed and some in plain clothes, took Peterson out of the front seat and handcuffed him. He did not try to argue and was walked over to a red sport-utility vehicle. The incident was over in about 5 minutes.

"There was no struggle whatsoever… like taking a walk in the park for him. He wasn't excited he just walked along with the police officers and got in the red SUV," the witness said.

CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli spoke with Peterson earlier Thursday. Asked if he was ready for the arrest, Peterson answered he's been ready for the past 18 months but didn't look forward to it.

"Doesn't sound like a party," Peterson said.

His defense attorney, Joel Brodsky, issued a statement that called his client's $20 million bond "incredibly excessive."

"There is no evidence that links Drew Peterson to the death of Kathleen Savio or anyone else for that matter," he said. "Drew did not harm Kathleen, he has said so from day one. We're obviously disappointed a grand jury indicted him. But an indictment does not mean guilt." 

The arrest has been expected for some time. The state police put out a news release long ago that they would be making an arrest in the Savio case, and that they did not believe Stacy Peterson left her family voluntarily.

While Illinois State Police have described Stacy's disappearance as a "potential homicide," Peterson has always maintained that Stacy ran off voluntarily with another man. Peterson is also a suspect in that case.

Drew Peterson had two children with Savio and two with Stacy Peterson. Those children have been living in Peterson's Bolingbrook home along with the children of his current girlfriend, Christina Raines. Children at Peterson's Bolingbrook home Thursday reportedly were taken into the care of the state's child welfare agency.

In April, Savio's family filed a lawsuit against Peterson asking for damages in excess of $100,000, and alleging that Peterson physically assaulted Savio during their marriage, then caused her death during a prolonged legal dispute over money.

The lawsuit also claimed that before her disappearance, Stacy Peterson told her pastor she had detailed knowledge that Savio was murdered and that Drew Peterson was the killer.

Roy Taylor, who has been spearheading many of the searches for Stacy Peterson since she disappeared in October 2007, said he was ecstatic.

"This has been a long time coming," Taylor said. "We searched real hard for Stacy. We want to see justice for Kathleen as well. We're here today in support of the arrest. We think it's the greatest thing to happen in the last 18 months."

In the time since he has been in the spotlight, Peterson has courted media attention on a regular basis, making several appearances on network morning news and talk shows and proclaiming his innocence. In early 2008, Peterson even planned to appear on a dating game on Steve Dahl's radio show, although Dahl later canceled the stunt.

Most recently, Peterson was offered a role in the HBO reality show "Cathouse," which follows the lives of sex workers at the Moonlite BunnyRanch brothel in Nevada, and features explicit sex scenes. Besides the "Cathouse" series, BunnyRanch owner Dennis Hoff said he has proposed hiring Peterson to head the brothel's security detail.

BunnyRanch owner Dennis Hoff on Wednesday said Peterson was invited to spend the upcoming weekend at the brothel to discuss Hoff's job offers.

Peterson was also cast into the national spotlight this past winter, when girlfriend Christina Raines moved in with him and they announced plans to marry, prompting an irate response from Raines' father. Raines has since moved out of Peterson's house.

Peterson quit the Bolingbrook Police Department shortly after Stacy's disappearance.

Until now, his only arrest was for a 2008 gun charge, claiming that he owned an assault rifle with a barrel shorter than allowed by state law. The charge was later dismissed.

CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli, the STNG Wire and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Editor's Picks

• Real Or Fake?
• Celebs Who Lean To The Right
• Top 10 Smartest And Dumbest Dog Breeds
• World's Most Useless Facts