The man accused of killing Adrian Peterson's two-year-old son reportedly has a long history of violence. Joseph Robert Patterson, 27, has beat a child in the past but was never jailed for his actions, Argus Leader reports.
In 2012, he was indicted on several counts of simple assault involving an ex-girlfriend and her young son. The woman reportedly had to ask for an order of protection against Patterson and said in her petition that the 27-year-old had spanked her three-year-old son so hard she had to put ice on his butt to make the welts go down. When she got angry with him the woman claims Patterson threatened to kill her.
She was granted the order of protection but Patterson was charged with violating it. As part of a plea deal he was sentenced to only a year in jail but was able to skip jail time if he went to domestic violence counseling.
Minnesota Vikings running back Peterson had only recently learned he had a son shortly before he was killed. He had been planning on visiting the little boy in Sioux Falls, South Dakota within the next couple of weeks but when he got the call that his son had to be rushed to the hospital he dropped everything and left.
According to reports Patterson had only recently become the mother's boyfriend. He was home alone with the toddler and called 911 saying the child was choking. When ambulance arrived they found the little boy's injuries were consistent with abuse.
"The injuries they found were head injuries," police spokesman Sam Clemens said. "It was obvious to medical staff that abuse had taken place and that those injuries weren't accidental."
Patterson was charged with aggravated assault and aggravated assault on a child but the charges could become more serious now that the boy has died. The boy passed away on Oct. 11 after the family was forced to make the heartbreaking decision to take him off life support.
