Drew Peterson's Son Might Lose His Policeman's Job

(Oct. 21) -- The son of former Illinois police officer and tabloid headline-grabber Drew Peterson could soon find himself standing in the unemployment line because of testimony he gave in court, Chicago media outlets report.

According to the Chicago Tribune, documents submitted to the village police and fire board this week indicate Oak Brook Police Chief Thomas Sheahan wants to remove Stephen Peterson from the police force.

Drew Peterson, 56, was arrested in May 2009 after a special grand jury found sufficient evidence to charge him in the 2004 death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Police have also named him an "official suspect" in the October 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, 23-year-old Stacy Peterson. The former Bolingbrook police officer is being held on $20 million bail, pending the start of his murder trial.

The younger Peterson was suspended in August, after he testified that he hid guns for his father after Stacy Peterson went missing. The testimony was given during a gun case against Drew Peterson, in which he was accused of possessing a modified AR-15 rifle. A judge dismissed those charges earlier this month.

"Oak Brook officials have said the heart of their case is Stephen Peterson's decision to accept items he knew could be of interest to investigators," the Chicago Breaking News Center reported. "The chief also asked that Stephen Peterson be punished for failing to keep private the information about the internal investigation into his conduct."

Board attorney Mark Sterk told the Tribune that Sheahan wants to suspend Stephen Peterson without pay, pending a disciplinary hearing.