Hearing Postponed for Dearborn Priest Accused of Driving Drunk, Naked

By Jessica Carreras
The Patch
August 14, 2012

http://dearborn.patch.com/articles/hearing-postponed-for-dearborn-priest-accused-of-driving-drunk-naked


The hearing for a Dearborn priest charged with indecent exposure and drunken driving has been moved to a later date, the 19th District Court confirmed Tuesday.

The Rev. Peter Petroske, who has been suspended as the head priest of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Dearborn, will be arraigned at the district court on Sept. 13, at which time his preliminary examination will also take place.

The court date was originally set for Aug. 14.

Petroske, 57, was arrested the evening of Aug. 2 after Dearborn police received a call that a man was driving his car around naked in the area of Garrison and Haigh streets in west downtown Dearborn.

According to the Detroit News, Petroske told the officer who pulled him over that he "liked to drive around naked."

Several sobriety tests were performed on Petroske, and his blood-alcohol level was recorded as .09–just over the legal limit of .08.

A laptop was also found in the car, and was taken by police as evidence. It's not clear whether the contents of the computer will play a role in Petroske's hearing.

Petroske returned to the pulpit at Sacred Heart the following Sunday and, according to the Archdiocese of Detroit, did not inform them of the charges pending against him.

When the archdiocese learned of the charges, they placed Petroske on an administrative leave of absence.