TODDLER PETERSON - 2 yo - / Accused: Mother's BF; Joseph Patterson - Sioux Falls SD

Vikings Adrian Peterson’s 2-year-old son in critical condition after alleged beating, TMZ report says

Published October 11, 2013
FoxNews.com

Adrian Peterson's 2-year-old son is in critical condition at a South Dakota hospital after he was allegedly beaten by a man dating his mother, TMZ reported Friday.

Peterson was seen in Sioux Falls on Thursday. A reporter with the Argus Leader newspaper said Peterson is dealing with a serious medical issue involving a young family member that "will likely be a police matter."

Joseph Patterson, 27, was arrested Thursday night and is charged with aggravated assault and aggravated battery of an infant, TMZ reported. The arrest was made after police and paramedics were called to an apartment at 5:43 p.m. Wednesday and found the 2-year-old victim with injuries "consistent with abuse."

MyFoxTwinCities.com has not confirmed that Peterson has any relation to the 2-year-old. The boy injured in the alleged assault has not been named, but it is not Adrian, Jr., the station reported. Vikings communications director told the station that Peterson is expected to practice Friday and hold his regular media availability.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/10/11/vikings-adrian-petersons-2-year-old-son-in-critical-condition-after-alleged/

Report: Adrian Peterson's 2-year-old son beaten, suffers head injuries

By Ryan Wilson | CBSSports.com
October 11, 2013 11:25 am ET

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson missed practice this week to be in South Dakota for what orginally was vaguely described as a "medical issue involving a young family member."

Now, according to TMZ, Peterson's 2-year-old son is in critical condition in a South Dakota hospital after he was allegedly beaten by the man dating the boy's mother.

Officials told TMZ the suspect is Joseph Patterson, who has been charged with aggravated felony assault and battery of an infant.

Authorities haven't confirmed that the child is Peterson's son (at least one report says the victim isn't Adrian Peterson Jr., but Peterson's other son).

“At this point, we're not going to confirm anything," Sioux Falls Police Department spokesman Sam Clemens said, via the Argus Leader. "Who the father is does not come into play in this investigation, so we're not going to be releasing any information as far as that goes."

More details via the Leader:

   The child was alone in Patterson's home at Platinum Valley Apartments, where he'd recently moved with his mother. Patterson called 911 to report a choking on Wednesday evening, but Lt. Blaine Larsen of the Sioux Falls Police Department said it became clear at the hospital that the boy's injuries were not accidental. ...

   The child was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where he remained in critical condition Thursday night, Larsen said. An examination led doctors to suspect that the boy's injuries were “consistent with abuse” and not accidental, Larsen said.

Patterson has a son with another Sioux Falls, S.D., woman who, according to court records, had asked for protection orders twice, claiming that Patterson had choked and punched her, threatened her with a knife and held her in the bedroom against her will.

According to the Leader, the assault-on-an-infant charge "involves blows, shaking or causing a child's head to sustain impact with an object in a manner that causes bleeding or swelling on the brain. The crime is punishable by up to 25 years in prison."

Peterson returned to Eden Prairie, Minn., and is expected to be at practice Friday, according to ESPN.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24066164/report-adrian-petersons-2yearold-son-beaten-suffers-head-injurires

Adrian Peterson's son, 2, dies; Man charged with abuse

Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY Sports
5:34 p.m. EDT October 11, 2013

A 2-year-old son of Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson died on Friday in a Sioux Falls, S.D., hospital, the victim of alleged abuse by a man dating the boy's mother, police confirmed.

Peterson's father Nelson confirmed Friday afternoon that the child is Adrian Peterson's. Peterson met with the media Friday, hours before the boy passed away, and said at the time he still planned to play in Sunday's game against Carolina, but declined to get into details about the case.

"I really appreciate all the support that I've been receiving from fans, the Vikings organization," said Peterson, who was excused to miss Thursday's Vikings practice before returning 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."

Police arrested Joseph Robert Patterson, 27, who was initially charged with aggravated assault and aggravated assault on an infant. Sioux Falls police said additional charges are being considered.

Patterson has a prior domestic abuse record with a different woman and child, having pleaded guilty to simple assault in an incident last year involving an adult female and juvenile male.

Sioux Falls police said Patterson recently started a relationship with the mother of the 2-year-old victim. Patterson appeared in court Friday morning in Canton, S.D. His bond had been set at $750,000 in cash before the boy's death.

The incident occurred in Patterson's apartment, where the boy had recently moved with his mother. Patterson called 911 on Wednesday evening to report a choking at the Platinum Valley apartment, but Lt. Blaine Larsen of the Sioux Falls Police Department said it became clear at the hospital that the boy's injuries were not accidental.

Sioux Falls police said the incident was initially reported as a medical emergency.

"As officers and first responders got there, they found child was unresponsive and he was taken to the hospital," police spokesman Sam Clemens told USA TODAY Sports. "So they ended up calling police about that or letting them know. We had detectives talk to quite a few people to try to figure out what happened. What they ended up finding was that when the injuries happened there was one person with that child, and that person was Joseph Patterson."

"The injuries they found were head injuries," Clemens said. "It was obvious to medical staff that abuse had taken place and that those injuries weren't accidental."

Clemens said police believe the child's mother was "gone for a short time, and that's when we believe the injury occurred."

Suspect's past

In the aftermath of Patterson's latest arrest, the Lincoln County prosecutor's office on Friday filed motions to order Patterson to serve two year-long sentences that had been suspended in two prior domestic cases - one for the simple assault case and another for violating an order to stay away from the victim in that case. Those motions will be heard later this month.

Court records show that Patterson has a son with another Sioux Falls woman, and also show that the mother had asked for protection orders twice, claiming he'd choked and punched her, threatened her with a knife and held her in the bedroom against her will.

The mother chose not to pursue permanent protection orders, which ultimately were dropped voluntarily in 2010 and 2011.

In 2012, Patterson was charged with simple assault against the mother, however, and was ordered to undergo family violence training and to stay away from her until completing it.

Patterson's child lives with his mother, who declined to comment Friday morning when reached by The Argus Leader.

Another woman applied for a protection order against Patterson in 2004 in Jackson County, where he attended high school.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier, speaking before news of the child's death, said Friday that it would be up to Peterson whether he plays this week.

"We'll see how things go with him," Frazier said. "We expect him to play, but this is a very personal situation that he's dealing with."

Vikings running back Toby Gerhart said many players had reached out to Peterson.

"We consider each other family and brothers. It's clichéd and everybody says, 'We've got each other's back' when we go on a football field, but when something like this happens, it's truly a testament of being a teammate and how tight this family is," Gerhart said.

"It's a tough situation. We all reached out to him yesterday. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family."

Peterson, meanwhile, said football helps get him through tough times.

"I plan on playing Sunday," he said. "I will be playing Sunday, correct that. I'll be ready to roll, focused. I'm worried about getting a W on Sunday, being 1-0... You know, football is something I will always fall back on. It gets me through tough times. Just being around the guys in here, that's what I need in my life, guys supporting me and just being able to go out and play this game I love. Things that I go through, I've said a thousand times, it helps me play this game to a different level. I'm able to kind of release a lot of my stress through this sport, so that's what I plan on doing."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/vikings/2013/10/11/adrian-peterson-son-critical-condition/2966015/

Another POS mother.  Another POS man.  Another dead baby.

Man accused in 2013 death of Adrian Peterson's son free on bail

By Ben Brumfield, CNN
updated 1:58 PM EDT, Sun September 21, 2014

CNN) -- Beleaguered by felony child abuse charges over the spanking of his toddler son, NFL star Adrian Peterson may now be facing anguish from a past tragedy.

The man charged with second-degree murder in the death last year of another one of Peterson's children is now free on bail.

Joseph Robert Patterson, who allegedly mortally assaulted the 2-year-old son of the Minnesota Vikings running back in South Dakota, posted a $2 million bond on Friday, said Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead.

The victim lived with his mother, who was Patterson's girlfriend.

The man is also accused of recklessly causing "serious bodily injury to the child," according to the indictment. And he faces charges of first-degree manslaughter, aggravated battery of an infant and abuse or cruelty to a minor.

Patterson has said that the child's death was an accident, that he choked to death on food.

Authorities in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, found the child unresponsive back then, and later determined he'd suffered injuries to his head consistent with abuse.

Soon after that son's death, Viking Peterson returned to the field, telling a sports reporter that it was God's will that he should resume playing.

Current abuse scandal

Texas authorities have accused Peterson of injury to a child over the spanking of the other son. The crime is punishable by up to two years in a state jail and a $1,000 fine.

Photos obtained by TMZ allegedly show Peterson's son's leg covered in marks that could have come from a switch, or thin tree branch. Some of the marks in the photo appeared to have broken the skin.

Authorities haven't divulged the details of what led to the charge. But Peterson's lawyer said the "charged conduct involves using a switch to spank his son," explaining that his client did so while doling out discipline much like what "he experienced as a child growing up in east Texas."

The NFL has sidelined Peterson, who is on leave with pay, while he handles the legal challenge.

Peterson has defended himself, saying he is "not a perfect parent, but I am, without a doubt, not a child abuser."

Star athlete

Through the troubles in his personal life, Peterson has shined on the field.

In his first pro season in 2007, he set the NFL record for yards rushed in a single game -- 296, against San Diego, according to the Vikings' website.

In 2008, he led the league in rushing yards and came in second in 2012. That year, he became the third Viking to receive the NFL's Most Valuable Player Award.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/21/us/adrian-peterson-former-case/