Arrested Burr Ridge Man Related To Well-Known Criminal : Reports

BURR RIDGE, IL — Eric D. Peterson, the Burr Ridge man arrested this week in connection with a marijuana growing operation, is the son of Drew Peterson, the retired Bolingbrook police officer convicted of the murder of his third wife, according to media reports. Drew Peterson's case attracted national publicity.

Last week, authorities uncovered a large illegal marijuana growing operation just outside of Burr Ridge.

Acting on a tip from an outside agency, DuPage County sheriff's deputies executed a search warrant about 6 a.m. Friday at a house in the 10S200 block of Skyline Drive, according to a sheriff's news release. The house is in an unincorporated area near Burr Ridge.

During the search, officers found illegal marijuana plants, weapons and ammunition, the release said. Peterson did not have a firearm owner's identification, or FOID, card, authorities said.

The younger Peterson, 42, who lives in the Skyline Drive house, turned himself in Monday morning, according to the release. He was wanted on a $50,000 arrest warrant. He posted the required $5,000 and was released, authorities said.

The sheriff's office said additional charges are expected as the investigation continues.

"While possession and use of cannabis is legal in Illinois, it is still illegal to grow and possess in the amounts alleged in this case," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release.

In Illinois, medical marijuana patients are legally allowed to grow five plants at a time and these plants cannot be more than 5 inches tall. But non-patients are not allowed to grow marijuana at home.

Peterson was charged with manufacture or delivery of 2,000 to 5,000 grams of marijuana, possession of 2,000 to 5,000 grams of marijuana, producing or possessing more than 20 but less than 50 marijuana plants, two misdemeanor accounts of possession of a firearm without a valid FOID card and a misdemeanor count of possession of ammunition without a valid FOID card.