Police & Fire

Ruby to Drew: F-You—Cops to Ruby: Go to Jail—Update! Again!

The county cops collared Cincinnati restaurateur Jeff Ruby at his Harrah's hotel room Thursday night, a source said.

By Joseph Hosey
Email the author
August 23, 2012

85 Comments

‹ Back to Article

new

Embed | Share

Jeff Ruby Joseph Hosey

Photos (3)

Photos

Credit Joseph Hosey

Credit Courtesy of the Will County Sheriff's Department

Upload Photos and Videos

Thursday morning, restaurant tycoon Jeff Ruby told accused wife-killer Drew Peterson, "F--- you!"

Not 12 hours later, the county cops visited Ruby where he is staying Harrah's Casino hotel and carted him off on a criminal charge.

A source said two plainclothes county cops picked up Ruby around 10 p.m.

Will County Deputy Chief Ken Kaupas, the sheriff's department spokesman, confirmed that detectives arrested Ruby on a charge of direct criminal contempt. Ruby was later released on his own recognizance.

Ruby was already tweeting about his arrest late Thursday.

"Just got out of Will Ctny jail Same place DP is Asked if I could share cell with him 4 just a minute Arrested in lobby at Harrahs Joliet," he wrote.

Ruby—whose brother-in-law was a murder victim—admitted to cursing Peterson after he and the disgraced Bolingbrook cop locked eyes in court Thursday morning.

A message left on Ruby's cell phone was not immediately returned. On his voicemail, Ruby identifies himself as a "whistleblower" and the "voice of America."

But once he was back at Harrah's, Ruby was ready to talk about his arrest.

The cop who took him into custody admitted "this was bulls---, but blah blah blah," Ruby said.

As his tweet said, Ruby asked for a minute in Peterson's cell but was denied.

And even though he said he told Peterson "F--- you" earlier Thursday, Ruby was later claiming the words never passed his lips.

"I did not say the F word," he said. "No audio at all. My lips moved like a ventriloquist."

Ruby also questioned how it took Peterson—who is charged with killing one wife and suspected by the Illinois State Police of possibly killing another—five and a half years to get arrested when he was taken down in a matter of hours for maybe mouthing a dirty word.

"That's Joliet justice," Ruby said. "We've got the trial of Romeo and Joliet, and I'm the only one going to jail."

A county deputy hauled Ruby out of the courthouse following the Thursday morning incident.

"He's getting away with murder and I have to leave," Ruby said as he was escorted out.

Ruby has been an especially vocal critic of Peterson recently.

"Has a judge ever been charged with obstruction of justice?" asked Ruby, who two weeks ago bought large advertisements in Chicago-area newspapers ripping the way Peterson's attorneys have conducted themselves.

As he was being walked out Thursday morning, Ruby added, "I'm going to leave (or) they're going to throw me in jail."

But even though he left, Ruby still went to jail. At least for as long as it took to get him processed at the Will County jail and released. He said he was out in about an hour

The police were making noise about arresting Ruby throughout Thursday, but the steakhouse owner remained defiant.

"I'm not going to be intimidated by that low-life," Ruby muttered as he stood outside on Ottawa Street.

He later hopped on his huge black-and-gold touring bus and was driven to Chicago for a radio interview, but apparently made it back to Joliet in time to get arrested.

Ruby insisted that Peterson was the instigator in the Thursday morning staring contest.

"If looks could kill," he said, "I would have been his third victim."

Related Topics: Arrest, Courts, Drew Peterson, Jeff Ruby, Murder, and Trial