After news broke that Adrian Peterson’s 2 year old son had died, local outlets began reporting on the background of the man charged in the case, 27 year old Joseph Patterson. Patterson has been charged with aggravated felony assault and battery of an infant. A charge is not a conviction.
The Argus Leader reported that Joseph had a new relationship with the child’s mother and had only recently moved into the home. Early reports said Joseph was alone with the child on Wednesday night and told the mother the boy had choked. Medical examination later found injuries consistent with abuse, local law enforcement said.
CBS South Dakota reported, citing court documents, that Joseph had been arrested several times in the past. Those records reportedly show a 2004 arrest for violating a protection order that was dropped, a 2012 aggravated assault arrest that was dismissed, and jail time in 2010 for eluding officers. The Argus Leader also reported that a former girlfriend said he had spanked her 3 year old son hard enough to leave welts and had threatened her. Those reports described accusations and records only, and Patterson had not been convicted in the current case at the time of this post.
Early reports had also mixed up which of Peterson’s children was involved. Peterson’s father, Nelson Peterson, clarified that the child was not the running back’s older son, and asked for prayers and respect for the family’s privacy.
Our thoughts remain with Peterson and his family.
