Court date set in South Dakota for northern Iowa man suspected of murder

BUTLER COUNTY/JACKSON COUNTY, S.D. - A northern Iowa man arrested in South Dakota following an Amber Alert and chase now has a first court appearance scheduled in that neighboring state.

Thomas Petersen, 39, of Greene, Iowa is a suspect in the killing of his wife, Judy Petersen, 36.  Her body was discovered about 9:00 p.m. Saturday night in their home in Greene, located in Butler County.  Iowa authorities issued an Amber Alert after Petersen's two-year-old son was discovered missing.  Petersen was arrested early Sunday morning in Jackson County, South Dakota, after ramming a patrol car driven by one South Dakota sheriff  and striking another vehicle driven by another sheriff.

A spokesperson at the Iowa D-C-I office did not believe any new information would be coming out Monday about the death of Judy Petersen.

Members of the Greene community plan to remember Renee Petersen at a community memorial service at 7:00 p.m. Thursday at the St. Peter Lutheran Church, 324 E. Traer St.  A local funeral home in Greene is also offering a condolence book for area residents to sign to give to the family.  Pastor Gary Hatcher said the Petersens have no Iowa relatives and the remaining relatives live in Texas.  He said the family moved to Greene in 2007.

A deputy at the Jackson County, South Dakota, sheriff's office said Thomas Petersen is now scheduled for an initial appearance in that state on June 16, 2011 at 9:00 a.m.  That county is so small court is not scheduled every day.  Initial appearances in Iowa usually happen within 24 hours of an arrest.

The tentative charges against Petersen in South Dakota include two charges of attempted murder, two charges of aggravated assault against a peace office, felony reckless driving, felony eluding and resisting arrest.

It's unclear if Petersen would have to face South Dakota charges before any expected extradition proceedings back to Iowa.

The Iowa Attorney General's Office said the case from Butler County has now been referred to state prosecutors.  However, there are no charges filed yet in Iowa against Petersen so there is no extradition proceeding yet.

Jackson County, South Dakota, Sheriff Ray Clements is in stable condition at a South Dakota Hospital with three broken ribs.  He is expected to be released sometime Monday.

Another sheriff, Mel Smith of Haakon County, South Dakota, suffered minor injuries apprehending Petersen but was not hospitalized.