Peterson has his vehicles back

Drew Peterson picked up his two seized vehicles Tuesday after a judge ordered state police Monday to return them.

State police seized the vehicles, a GMC Yukon Denali and a Pontiac Grand Prix, while carrying out a Nov. 1 search warrant.

The vehicles along with 11 guns, several computers and other items were seized as part of the investigation into Peterson's fourth wife Stacy's Oct. 28 disappearance. Officials have labeled Peterson a suspect in the case, which is being treated as a possible homicide.

Peterson has denied any wrongdoing, insisting his wife left him for another man.

His attorney, Joel Brodsky, filed a petition in December asking the courts to force investigators to return all of the seized property. Brodsky and co-counsel Andrew Abood argued the state, after three months, had more than enough time to conduct all necessary forensics testing on the items.

Abood called Michigan-based forensic scientist Ann Chamberlain as an expert witness to testify to the amount of time needed for testing. Chamberlain said all testing on the items taken could be completed within a few weeks.

Judge Richard Schoenstedt also heard the state’s arguments and evidence against returning the property during a closed session hearing before ruling Feb. 27 to allow the return.


At a hearing Monday, Schoenstedt ordered police to release the vehicles on Tuesday and make the computers available within two weeks. Brodsky asked that the guns be handed over to Peterson’s son Stephen, an Oak Brook police officer. Schoenstedt had ruled Feb. 27 that Drew Peterson could have the guns back provided he maintained a firearm owner’s identification card. State police, at the request of State’s Attorney James Glasgow, revoked the FOID card the next day.

Schoenstedt delayed a decision on the guns until March 25 citing a concern over whether the court could force Stephen Peterson to abide by the stipulations set for the release of the items.


Brodsky said Schoenstedt’s decision proves the state has a lack of evidence and supports his belief that Peterson will not be charged in connection with Stacy Peterson's, or the March 2004 drowning of his third wife, Kathleen Savio.

“I think that (the ruling) says a lot if you want to try to read between the lines,” Brodsky said.

On Feb. 27, Schoenstedt said Peterson could have the property provided he appear in court for the hearing Monday to agree to several conditions. Among them, Peterson cannot challenge the validity of photographs of the vehicles or of the computer hard drives.

Brodsky, Peterson, and assistant state’s attorney John Connor all signed their agreement to the conditions and presented the document to Schoenstedt on Monday.

“We’re more than willing to stipulate that those photos show the state and condition of the vehicles at the time they were taken,” Brodsky said.