A two-year-old boy who was in critical condition after suffering abuse Wednesday has died.
The man accused of hurting the two-year-old made his first court appearance Friday morning in the Lincoln County Courthouse. Joseph Patterson is charged with aggravated assault and aggravated battery of an infant. Authorities are reviewing police reports and considering additional charges.
Court documents refer to the baby by initials only – T.R.R. – but Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson’s father told the St. Paul Pioneer Press that one of Peterson’s sons was in the hospital in Sioux Falls. Peterson was seen in Sioux Falls Thursday, but he isn’t revealing details to reporters and asks people to respect his privacy.
Meanwhile the man accused of hurting the toddler made his first court appearance Friday morning. Lincoln County officers arrested 27-year-old Joseph Robert Patterson Thursday, a day after authorities say he brutally beat his girlfriend’s two-year-old.
He’s charged with aggravated assault and aggravated battery of an infant. That charge details intentional harm to a baby less than three years old. It includes damage to the brain caused by blow, shaking or impact.
"The charges could be run consecutive to one another, which would then amount to be a 40 year sentence and/or $80,000 in fines," Lincoln County State’s Attorney Tom Wollman says.
In a Lincoln County courtroom, Patterson replied “Yes, sir” when the judge asked him if he understood the charges, and the judge set Patterson’s bond at $750,000.
State’s Attorney Tom Wollman says Patterson’s charges are a violation of his suspended sentence for domestic assault. That conviction is from 2012, and the state wants that sentence imposed.
Law enforcement representatives aren’t confirming the identity of the baby’s parents, and they aren't releasing his name yet. Officials say that’s standard procedure, because they protect victims of crimes.