BLOOMINGTON - A Bloomington police sergeant accused of attempted burglary also is a suspect in a three-year series of unsolved rapes in which women living alone were attacked inside their homes, the officer's attorney and wife told the Pantagraph.

Bloomington Sgt. Jeff Pelo, 41, is being investigated as a person police think may have raped up to four women - all single and in their 20s - since December 2002, defense attorney Steve Skelton confirmed.

Pelo is jailed on charges of attempted residential burglary and stalking and is on administrative leave after he was arrested Saturday shortly after finishing part of an exam for promotion to lieutenant.

"I categorically deny any connection between my client and those crimes," Skelton said of the unsolved rapes. "I understand he is 'quote unquote' a suspect. But I think there's probably 150 other people who could've done that."

His wife, Rickielee Pelo, also denied her husband had any involvement in the rapes and the attempted burglary. She said police officials are trying to smear Pelo in retaliation for his involvement in the command staff and police officers' unions, a charge denied Monday by Police Chief Roger Aikin and a union chief.

"It is insane," she said. "I can't even put into words. I just hope later that maybe some other police officers will be able to stand up for what is right instead of lowering their heads in fear. Fear that they could be next. Because if they don't stand up, they will be next."

McLean County State's Attorney Bill Yoder would not discuss Pelo's reported link to the rapes. "I'm not confirming or denying anything regarding that," he said Tuesday. "The investigation is ongoing. I have no further comment beyond that."

A court file orders Pelo to have no contact with a person identified by initials and with a home in Prairie View Estates on Bloomington's east side. Authorities would not confirm if that was the location of Saturday's incident.

During an interview with the Pantagraph, Rickielee Pelo said Bloomington police are trying to build a case against her husband in the series of sexual attacks, saying investigators searched her family's home and vehicles in an attempt to find evidence of a "sexual nature."

Aikin acknowledged the search took place, but said he wasn't sure whether it covered more than one building or vehicle. He would not discuss whether the search was connected to the rape investigation.

Jeff Pelo's pickup truck, guns, multiple computers and numerous articles of black clothing - gloves, T-shirts, pants, shorts and ski masks - were seized when detectives executed a search warrant at Pelo's home near Downs, Rickielee Pelo said.

Skelton said he was not privy to information about the search. Rickielee Pelo said the clothing belonged not just to Pelo, but also to her and the couple's three children.

The rapes

Bloomington police went public in December with their belief that four women may have been raped by the same man who broke into their apartments during separate but similar attacks between December 2002 and January 2005. In each case, the attacker hid his face and entered the homes through unlocked doors or windows, surprising the women.

The announcement and public plea for help came after an FBI report concluded there were enough similarities among the cases to suggest the culprit was one person. The department previously tried to dispel rumors the crimes were connected.

Rickielee Pelo said a Bloomington detective had tears in his eyes when he told her police were investigating her husband in connection with the rapes. She said she's sent their three children out of state so they won't have to experience the media coverage.

The burglary

In court documents, prosecutors accuse the 17-year department member of taking a "substantial step" toward breaking into a house early Saturday. The homeowner called police at 12:22 a.m. and said someone was trying to gain entry through the front door and window.

A patrol officer arrived within minutes and saw Pelo, dressed in black athletic shorts and black T-shirt, standing next to the house. Pelo initially walked away after the officer told him to stop. Pelo also refused to put his hands in the air and appeared to stuff an item the officer said looked like clothing into his shorts, court documents say.

Pelo eventually turned around and walked toward the officer. Asked what he was doing, Pelo said he was looking at potential houses to purchase for his mother-in-law. The officer allowed Pelo to leave on foot, court documents say.

Aikin said the officer did not know at the time he was going to be dealing with a criminal investigation and "handled the case exceptionally well."

"Ninety-nine percent of the officers in this police department probably would have done the same thing he did, given the same set of circumstances," Aikin said. "So this officer did nothing wrong. We're standing behind his actions 100 percent of the way."

Rickielee Pelo and her mother, Sandra Benecke, said Jeff Pelo often went out at night to look at homes on the market. Rickielee said her husband has been doing that for the last 18 months, and liked to look at night because he had trouble sleeping after 15 years of working the night shift.

'A black eye'

Pelo was promoted to sergeant in 2000, and had most recently been on day shift patrol, said Bloomington police spokesman David White. He said Pelo, another sergeant and a lieutenant were in charge of command decisions and assignments such as patrol areas.

"He is a member of this police department, he's been charged, he's not been found guilty of anything," Aikin said, later adding, "It's a black eye for all of us, but they're still professional men and women here. And they're still out doing the job and doing a good job at it."

While Illinois State Police often are asked to help local police with internal investigations, Master Sgt. Rick Hector did not see any problems with Bloomington handling its own affairs. He said his agency also handles many of its own internal investigations, and the need for an outside agency is determined on a case-by-case basis.