INFORMATION REGUARDING DETECTIVE HARDY

[Lorie Taylor]

Location: oak brook IL
Posts: 20
"His whereabouts were totally accounted for" ??

chicagotribune.com
Third wife was 'terrified'
Savio feared husband, sister told inquest
By Matthew Walberg and Erika Slife

Tribune staff reporters

November 9, 2007

Susan Savio told a coroner's jury in 2004 that her sister Kathleen Savio believed if something should happen to her, her death would only look like an accident.

Kathleen Savio, 40, was found dead in her bathtub in March 2004, her hair soaked with blood, just weeks before a financial settlement of a divorce with her husband, Bolingbrook Police Sgt. Drew Peterson, was to be finalized.

Susan Savio told the six-person jury when she learned of her sister's death, "I asked if her ex-husband killed her," according to a transcript released Thursday. "The reason I asked that is ... they were divorced, but they did not settle anything [financially] ... and she was terrified of that -- him and him threatening her."

The jury ruled the death was accidental. On Wednesday, Will County Coroner Patrick O'Neil -- who conducted the inquest -- questioned the ruling, saying the death at least should have been ruled "undetermined."

O'Neil's statement prompted one juror Thursday to ask why the coroner did not express misgivings at the time.

"If the coroner thought we were wrong, why didn't he say something?" Walter James asked. "The choices we had were that it was accidental, homicide or suicide. But now I'm hearing ... that you can say 'undetermined.' And I don't think [O'Neil] indicated that at the time I was on the inquest. I think if that had been brought up, or had been available at the time, that's the way I would have gone myself."

Kathleen Savio was Peterson's third wife. His fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, 23, has been missing for nearly two weeks, and the extensive search for her continued Thursday.

Drew Peterson, 53, told police he last saw her the morning of Oct. 28, and last spoke with her by cell phone that night. He said his wife told him she was leaving him for someone else.

Authorities have said Peterson is cooperating with police. A source close to the investigation said Thursday that Drew Peterson's two teenage sons from his marriage to Kathleen Savio voluntarily talked to police about Stacy Peterson.

Her disappearance has prompted intense scrutiny of her husband's background, bringing Kathleen Savio's case to light once more. The state's attorney's office said it was carefully reviewing whether to exhume Savio's body.

"The decision hasn't formally been made yet, but we're talking very seriously about the legal steps that need to be taken to move forward with an exhumation," said Charles Pelkie, spokesman for State's Atty. James Glasgow. "We want to make sure that we're taking the right steps and that it's done in a dignified and proper way."

Anna Marie Doman, another sister of Kathleen Savio, confirmed she spoke with Glasgow Thursday.

"That's exactly what [Glasgow] told me," Doman said. "He said no papers have been filed, but they're checking out all the legal avenues. They need a court order, and they haven't done that yet. It's looking like they probably will."

Glasgow reopened the Savio case, citing the unusual circumstances of her death. The state's attorney at that time was Jeff Tomczak.

"We know definitely that Illinois State Police sought the direction of the Will County state's attorney's office in this case within days of Kathleen Savio's death," Pelkie said. "We don't know to what extent [the state police case] was reviewed by Tomczak's people. There is documentation here in the office that the state police had consulted with Jeff Tomczak's administration, but it's very scant." Kathleen Savio was found face down in an empty bathtub at her Bolingbrook home, her hair soaked in blood from a head wound. An autopsy determined she died of drowning, and a forensic pathologist concluded the wound was likely the result of a fall.

At the inquest, the jury was told that Kathleen Savio had more than $1 million in life insurance naming her sons as beneficiaries, and that she would have received the couple's $300,000 home in the divorce settlement.

Illinois State Police Special Agent Herbert *. Hardy told jurors that the sergeant's "whereabouts were totally accounted for" at the time of Kathleen Savio's death.

"We had all kinds of evidence, and all of us went through it," James, the inquest juror, told the Tribune. "We came to the conclusion that it was accidental due to the fact that the evidence we looked at did not indicate a homicide."

But James said the bloody bathtub gave him pause.

"I had some doubt as to what happened because the pictures that we did see, the tub was empty, but there was all kinds of blood still in the tub and all around the drain and the rim of the tub," James said. "I thought in the back of my mind that if there was water in the tub, that would have probably diluted some of the blood and the blood would have gone out with it. But as we looked at the pictures, there was still a lot of blood inside the tub.

Meanwhile, state police joined forces Thursday with Texas EquuSearch, a volunteer group that began looking for Stacy Peterson this week at her family's request. They are coordinating searches of key areas of interest based on the investigation, a police statement said.

Texas EquuSearch spokesman Gary Peterson said about 70 volunteers searched 30 to 40 areas by boat and foot Thursday but found nothing of note.

Pam Bosco, a spokeswoman for the Peterson family, said that the searches are not in vain and that the family remains hopeful.

"We know obviously where she's not. It helps us plan for tomorrow," she said. "There's always tomorrow."

More information has surfaced on Drew Peterson. According to court documents, Peterson was fired in 1985 after the Bolingbrook Fire and Police Commission found him guilty of official misconduct, disobedience, failure to report a bribe and self-assigned police action. At the time, he was part of the Metropolitan Area Narcotics Squad, working on a case against a reputed drug dealer.

In 1986, Peterson was reinstated shortly after a Will County judge overruled the commission's decision, said Gerard Nowicki, who served on the panel. When asked if the commission agreed with the court's ruling, Nowicki flatly replied, "No." He declined to elaborate.

[Lorie Taylor]

PETERSON SEARCH ENTERS FOURTH WEEK

Bolingbrook, IL -
The search for Stacy Peterson enters its fourth week, and amidst national television appearances by her husband, Drew Peterson, who denies any wrong doing, and administrative actions related to his resignation Nov. 12, the case appears to be in a holding pattern.

Volunteer searchers organized by Texas EquuSearch announced on Sunday that search efforts would be postponed until after Thursday, and an opinion on a second autopsy of Kathleen Savio’s body — Drew Peterson’s third wife — is not expected for several weeks from the Will County State's Attorney's Office.

Still, when the Bolingbrook Fire and Police Board meet at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 20, the case could assume a new direction, authorities say.

The board, which recommends disciplinary action for Fire Department and Police Department personnel, is expected to acknowledge Drew Peterson’s resignation and review charges being forwarded by the police department related to Peterson’s employment history with the department.
Peterson tendered his resignation Nov. 12, about one month shy of the 30th anniversary of his employment as a Bolingbrook police officer.

“I don’t think we can not accept a resignation, the board would simply acknowledge it,” said Kathleen Elliot, attorney for the board.

What, if any, effect the timing of Drew Peterson’s resignation will have on any potential board action has yet to be determined, and likely won’t be until the board convenes Tuesday night.

In the past the Fire and Police Board has recommended such options as terminating employment, suspending officers and doing nothing.

The board acts on information supplied by the police department, which in this case has been reviewing potential charges against Peterson for more than a week, according to Lt. Ken Teppel, spokesman for the Bolingbrook Police Department.

“The investigation began before Sgt. Peterson resigned, so the investigation continued regardless of the resignation,” Teppel said.

“If the board acts to first accept Drew Peterson’s resignation, does that (nullify) the next action?” Teppel said. “That seems to be the million dollar question on everybody’s mind.”

Teppel said the department began an investigation into potential official misconduct by Drew Peterson about a week prior to his resignation.

“(Police Chief Ray McGury) wants to make sure Peterson’s resignation does not invalidate the investigation simply because he resigned before the board was able to officially review the charges,” Teppel said.

Teppel did not reveal the nature of the charges expected to be filed on Tuesday except to say, “They are administrative in nature, and came up during the recent investigation into Stacy Peterson’s disappearance,” Teppel said.

Drew Peterson, who on Monday morning made his second appearance on "The Today Show," last week was named as a suspect in both the disappearance of Stacy Peterson — his fourth wife — and the death of Kathleen Savio, his third wife.

Kathleen Savio died March 1, 2004 and was discovered in her empty bathtub with a laceration to the back of her skull. A six-person Will County Coroner’s jury ruled the death an accidental drowning in March, 2004.

Following Stacy Peterson’s disappearance, Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow announced the Kathleen Savio case was under review because of the “unique circumstances” surrounding her death.

At the time of her death Savio had been divorced from Drew Peterson for several months, but the courts had not divided the marital assets. At the time of her death, Savio lived in her home at 392 Pheasant Chase Drive, a few blocks from where Drew Peterson and Stacy Peterson lived at 6 Pheasant Chase Court.

During testimony at a Will County Coroner’s inquest following Savio’s death, Illinois State Police Special Agent Herbert B. Hardy said Drew Peterson was with his children that weekend and “his whereabouts were totally accounted for that whole weekend,” according to a transcript of the inquest.

Recently, Glasgow and state police announced Drew Peterson is a suspect in both Stacy Peterson’s disappearance and Savio’s death.

Savio’s body was exhumed from Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside on Nov. 13 and an autopsy performed by Dr. Larry Blum.

Tuesday night, the Will County Coroner’s Office issued a release stating the second autopsy revealed “nothing to contradict a change relative to drowning as the cause of Kathleen Savio’s death."

The release, however, did not address the issue of whether or not the drowning was accidental, as stated in the initial autopsy.

At the request of Savio’s family, noted forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden also performed an independent autopsy and publicly stated the death was a homicide.

Blum is expected to render his opinion on the case once all the facts surrounding the case — including a review of case photographs, toxicology, investigative reports, radiologic evidence and microscopic examination of tissues — have been reviewed.

The coroner’s office release said that “may take several weeks” to complete.

Last week the Bolingbrook Police Pension Board approved Drew Peterson’s $6,000-a-month pension following his resignation

[Lorie Taylor]

This was about what Hardy testified:

11/08/2007 Mike Puccinelli (cbs2chicago.com) Reporting (VIDEO):
"Coroner reviews study of Cop's 3rd Wife's Death"

"Today officials released a document relating to the death of his 3rd wife. It’s 28 page transcript of an inquest where Kathleen Savio's family believes Drew Peterson got away with murder." - "The only police officer called to testify that day about that possibility, saying quote, CORONER: "Any signs of a struggle noted at the scene?" or defense wounds?" - POLICE OFFICER: "No, there was not" - CORONER: "Any signs of a struggle or defense wounds?" - POLICE OFFICER: "No, there was not." - "But the report also notes that the police officer was never at the death scene and was not present for the autopsy where eight separate injuries were noted on Savio's body."

www.acandyrose.com/kathleen_savio.htm

[Lorie Taylor]

Hardy, Herbert B.: Herbert Hardy is a Special Agent with the Illinois State Police. He provided testimony to the coroner's inquest in May 2004 as the jury was trying to determine the cause of death for Kathleen Savio. He was filling in for the ISP officer who had been to the scene and was "on vacation and unable to attend." Hardy did not see the death scene, yet he told the coroner's jury, "And our investigation shows that basically, after the coroner's report and toxicology that she died from drowning," Hardy says" - "We believe that the laceration from her -- that she sustained to the back of her head was caused by a fall in the tub," Hardy said. "There was nothing to lead us to believe that anything else occurred." He also told the jury that they (ISP) were waiting for phone records to confirm Drew Peterson's alibi, and told them that the records had been requested. They had not been. He went on to tell the jury that it takes a long time to receive phone records.

[Lorie Taylor]

DETECTIVE HARDY SAID TO THE JURY PANEL IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO GET THE PHONE RECORDS BACK..........HERE IS WHAT MARK FURHMAN FOUND OUT


So I went a little farther, and I found out that not only is it easily received to get a telephonic search warrant, it takes less than two weeks, the total — writing the search warrant, getting the search warrant and then filing the return of search warrant. I asked the young lady that was helping me at the county courthouse just exactly what would happen if the grand jury went back to the records in 2004, took those warrants and any evidence of them, and seized them and sealed them? She goes, They could do that. But then I said, Every one of those receives a number when they're registered, the return of search warrant. She says, Yes. Are there any members missing or out of sequence? She went from March 1 to November 2004. She goes, None are missing.


www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,316707,00.html

[Lorie Taylor]

Furman: We can make this conclusion absolutely. There was not one search warrant written. Now, what does that give us for a conclusion? The special agent either was told certain information that was false, he misled the jury in the coroner's inquest, or there was no intention of writing a search warrant, nor was there ever a search warrant written or any phone records ever checked.