Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson turned himself into Montgomery County, Texas authorities early Saturday morning on one count of injury to a child with reckless or criminal negligence. The NFL star was taken into custody after being indicted on Friday.
Authorities admitted Peterson through a side entrance and later released his mugshot. He was free to walk less than a half hour later after posting $15,000 bond.
While details of the incident are minimal, attorney Rusty Hardin confirmed the charge in the following statement:
“Adrian Peterson has been informed that he was indicted by a grand jury in Montgomery County, Texas for Injury to a Child. The charged conduct involves using a switch to spank his son. This indictment follows Adrian’s full cooperation with authorities who have been looking into this matter. Adrian is a loving father who used his judgment as a parent to discipline his son. He used the same kind of discipline with his child that he experienced as a child growing up in east Texas. Adrian has never hidden from what happened. He has cooperated fully with authorities and voluntarily testified before the grand jury for several hours. Adrian will address the charges with the same respect and responsiveness he has brought to this inquiry from its beginning. It is important to remember that Adrian never intended to harm his son and deeply regrets the unintentional injury.”
As news broke on the indictment, the team issued a statement, saying: “The Vikings are in the process of gathering information regarding the legal situation involving Adrian Peterson. At this time, we will defer further questions to Adrian’s attorney Rusty Hardin.”
The Vikings later announced Peterson had been deactivated for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots, despite being at practice on Friday. Sources say the star gave no indication that anything unusual had taken place.
Photo courtesy Hannah Foslien/Getty Images North America
According to Texas law, a person can be convicted of an injury to a child offense if they are proven to have caused bodily or mental injury “intentionally, knowingly, recklessly or with criminal negligence” or causing such harm by omission. In this case, a child is considered 14 years old or younger.