Showing posts with label illinois state police. Show all posts
Showing posts with label illinois state police. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Killer Tornadoes Defy Winter, Slash Through Midwest in Bizarre Weather






In Oklahoma, the freak storms made history as the National Weather Service issued almost two dozen tornado warnings. The state has not recorded a tornado in January since 1975. Although none touched down, the warnings and the severe thunderstorms were so dangerous that local TV stations provided non-stop weather coverage during prime time, pre-empting normal shows.

Northeast Oklahoma stayed under tornado watch until 5 a.m. today. Although radar picked up supercell formation and rotation in the sky, the storms didn't unleash their deadly funnels until just after they crossed state lines into Arkansas and Missouri.

The photo is courtesy of stormchaser Chris Wilburn and KTUL. This incredible night photo of a tornado was captured in Missouri.



This dramatic night storm photo is courtesy of White Shadow Photography.



It was a tense time for those in the storm strike zone. Here at I Found a Peanut headquarters, we spent the night camped in front of a TV, flashlight and emergency gear at hand and ready to head into the storm shelter.

We knew something was coming even before the tornado watch and warnings were issued. The weather whipped from below freezing temperatures to a sudden tropical feeling. The high here reached 71 degrees. However, missing from the mix was the usual "oppressive" feeling that comes in pre-tornadic buildups.

Rapidly-building weather systems like this are incredibly dangerous because they appear so suddenly. Other dangers: flooding and lightning. As thousands of lightning strikes hammered to earth, the storms also brought flooding. Emergency workers had to rescue people from flash-flooded areas.

It's not yet dawn, so we haven't had a chance to check for any possible damage from the high winds. Amazingly, the power stayed on. Parts of Oklahoma are still recovering from more than a week without power and heavy damage from the recent multi-million-dollar ice storm.



Tulsa has brought in outside contractors to help with downed limb clean-up from the ice storm. Officials fear that fallen trees and limbs, especially in country areas, will serve as dangerous fodder when the fire season begins.

Despite all that, Oklahoma was lucky last night. Our neighbors on our northeast borders weren't so lucky, nor were those in some sections of Wisconsin and Illinois. Although we're reeling from the one-two punch of historic ice storm and now spring-like supercell thunderstorms, we know that last night we managed to dodge a deadly bullet--this time.

Applause is due KOTV, KJRH, and KTUL, who all fielded stormchasters and spotters, and who worked throughout the entire night monitoring and reporting on the storms.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Drew Peterson Tried to Hire Truckers to Transport Package After Stacy Peterson Disappeared



This just in: the Illinois State Police have taken the extraordinary step of issuing an alert saying that former Bolingbrook cop Drew Peterson and another male approached truckers and asked them to transport a package to an undisclosed location.

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACTS:
December 1, 2007 Trooper Mark T. Dorencz #4848
Safety Education Officer
Illinois State Police - District 5
(815) 726-6377 Ext. 271

JOLIET – On October 29, 2007 at approximately 3:30 am, two truck drivers were approached by two men at a truck stop in Bolingbrook , IL. One of the two men is believed to be Drew Peterson and the other described as a white male, early 50’s, salt-and-pepper hair, with a stocky build. The two men requested the truck drivers to transport a package to an undisclosed location. Upon reaching the location, the men would regain possession of the package and continue transporting it to a location not accessible by semi-trailers.

Anyone having a similar encounter is asked to contact the Illinois State Police at
815-740-0678 or America’s Most Wanted Hotline at 1-800-CRIME TV."

As Peterson tried to block a prayer vigil for missing fourth wife Stacy Peterson in his neighborhood, momentum continues to build in this increasingly bizaare case. His attorney, Joel Brodsky, whose own past includes loss of his law license for forging a check, continues to smear everyone else involved in Peterson's life.

Dr. Michael Baden remains firm that Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio, was beaten and her death posed to look like a drowning. Found allegedly drowned in a dry bathtub, Savio had for years pleaded for help, to no avail, in dealing with Peterson's abuse. She, like other women in Peterson's life, had told others that Peterson bragged he could kill her, and as a cop, could make it look like an accident and get away with it.

The list of deaths, disappearances, and tragedies linked to the former Bolingbrook police officer continue to mouth. His step-brother, Thomas Morphey, tried to commit suicide after Peterson got him to help move a large container out of the Peterson home the day Stacy Peterson disappeared. Morphey, shaken, went to a friend and said that he was afraid he had just helped Peterson dispose of Stacy's body.

Here's a list of cases that 64 full-time Illinois investigators, the FBI, the Navy, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--the military brought in to help with searches--are analyzing that are linked to Drew Peterson:

Fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, who told clergy that Peterson had killed Savio, and who told family and friends that she was afraid Peterson would kill her and make it look like an accident.

Third wife, Kathleen Savio, whose body was exhumed for new autopsies after Stacy Peterson's death. When her body was found, Peterson had falsely called in a "welfare check," then gave false information to medical techs about a non-existent heart condition, and managed to get the tub cleaned up without adequate investigation. In essence, he labelled it an accident.

During Savio's marriage, Peterson was having an affair with a young woman, whose brother protested. The brother was found dead, and labelled as a suicide. The officer first on the scene? Drew Peterson.

A local man, Jeffrey Archer, dated one of Peterson's ex-wives, angering Peterson. According to police documents, he was found dead in Sanitary Shipping Canal, one mile east of Routes 83 and 171- Cook County. That area has also been searched for any trace of Stacy Peterson's remains.

The lid is only now being slowly pulled back off a very nasty pot of years of alleged Peterson misconduct, on and off the job. Before he rushed to retirement after Stacy's case hit the media spotlight, he had earlier been suspended for misconduct on the job.

Two decades earlier, he'd been fired for a series of actions, including revealing the name of an undercover narcotics officer to a known killer. Peterson, adept at talking his way out of trouble, managed to get his job back.

Peterson has been named as a suspect in Stacy's death. Savio's case is being re-examined.

The archives contain numerous articles with background on this developing story.