"I like to Drive around Naked," Dearborn Pastor Told Police, According to Arrest Report

By Jim Schaefer
Detroit Free Press
August 9, 2012

http://www.freep.com/article/20120809/NEWS02/120809050/-like-drive-around-naked-Dearborn-pastor-told-police-according-arrest-report?odyssey=nav|head

The pastor of a Catholic parish in Dearborn was completely undressed and told city police “I like to drive around naked” after he was pulled over last week on suspicion of drunken driving, according to the arresting officer’s report on the incident.

“I was, uh, hot … I like to drive around naked,” A Dearborn officer quoted the Rev. Peter Petroske as saying after he was stopped at 11:18 p.m. on Aug. 2. Police said Petroske’s clothes were scattered across the inside of his Volkswagen Passat and he was allowed to get dressed before stepping out of the vehicle for sobriety tests.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m embarrassed,” police quoted the 57-year-old priest as saying.

The police report, obtained by the Free Press under a Freedom of Information Act request, said officers detected a strong odor of alcohol in the vehicle and that Petroske was unable to recite the alphabet or count backward. A chemical test showed his blood-alcohol level was .09, just over the limit for drunken driving, the report said.

The archdiocese issued a statement Tuesday saying Petroske, pastor of Sacred Hart parish since 2008, had been placed on indefinite administrative leave.

The police report said Petroske was pulled over near Garrison and Haigh after another driver called in to report seeing a naked man behind the wheel. Petroske was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and indecent exposure.

Police said a laptop computer was seized from the backseat of Petroske’s car. The report said it was Petroske’s first arrest. He is due in court on Aug. 14.

With 1,900 member families, Sacred Heart Parish is Dearborn's second-largest Catholic church. Petroske has been pastor since 2008. The parish also operates a school.