Joseph Robert Patterson was arrested for the alleged beating of Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson’s son, who was reportedly in critical condition before dying. It was reported that the child was not Adrian Peterson Jr. but one of his other sons, according to Peterson’s father.
UPDATE at 5:20 p.m. - Peterson’s son has died, according to local reports.
UPDATE - It was reported that Joseph Patterson was charged with assaulting another 3-year-old boy in June 2012. Kekoland TV reports that Patterson has been arrested several times on several counts. He was arrested in 2004 for violating a protection order--which was dropped, he also was charged with assault in 2012, and he was charged in 2010 with eluding officers.
His bond was set at $750,000 and remains in custody.
According to the Minneapolis City Pages, Patterson repeatedly stated his love for one of his other children on his Facebook. “Cant wait to pick up my son and see his smiley face!!” reads one of his posts. The child he is referring to was his own and wasn’t Peterson’s, the paper pointed out.
Patterson is from Kadoka, South Dakota, and attended Black Hills State University and the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
The Sioux Falls Argus Leader reported that his relationship with the mother of Peterson’s child was “fairly new,” and she was living with him.
In the 2012 assault case, Patterson is accused of spanking another unidentified woman’s 3-year-old child so hard that he received welts. The then put his hands around the woman’s neck. The woman said he threatened to kill her “multiple times,” reported the Argus Leader. She filed for temporary protection orders against him twice.
The Daily Mail reported that he punched and choked the woman, threatened her with a knife, and held her against her will.
Original story follows:
Peterson addressed the media in Minneapolis on Friday, saying “I will be playing Sunday ... without a doubt,” reported the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
“I really appreciate all the support that I’ve been receiving from fans, the Vikings organization,” Peterson told the media on Friday. “This is a private matter and I would ask you all to please just respect my privacy and not ask at all about the situation at hand. Thanks.”
Patterson, 27, was said to be dating the mother of Peterson’s child in Sioux Falls, S.D.. The child was rushed to a hospital in South Dakota after the incident.
Citing law enforcement sources, TMZ said that Patterson was arrested in connection with the crime and will face aggravated felony assault and infant battery charges.
The mother of the child told the celebrity news website that the boy didn’t have brain activity since 5 p.m. before he died.
Nelson Peterson, the father of Adrian Peterson, confirmed that one of the running back’s sons was critically beaten, reported the Pioneer-Press.
“All I can say is, we are asking for prayers and for respect for our family as we deal with this tragic situation,” Nelson Peterson told the paper.
TMZ reported that Patterson also hit the child’s mother with a metal construction bar, and she sustained an arm injury and a cut on her face. She was not hospitalized.
The Argus Leader of South Dakota reported that Patterson was the only person home with the 2-year-old boy on Wednesday. He lived there with the boy’s mother.
“It was a fairly new relationship,” Sioux Falls Police Lt. Blaine Larsen said.
Police were called to the home and reports said the child suffered choking injuries, according to the Leader. However, TMZ reported that the child suffered head injuries.
Peterson was in Sioux Falls after he missed practice with the Vikings on Thursday, citing personal reasons. The Argus Leader on Thursday reported that the incident involved a “young [Peterson] family member that likely will be a police matter.”
ESPN’s SportsCenter said on Friday that Peterson will address the press later and is back practicing with his team. Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said that Peterson had a “difficult day. We expect him to play, but we'll talk more over the next 24 hours.” The Vikings are set to play the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Officials said that Patterson could face as many as 40 years in prison if convicted.
