Adrian Peterson Gets Tentative Dec. Trial Date
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A motion was filed by prosecutors Wednesday at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Conroe, Texas to have a new judge assigned to the Adrian Peterson child abuse case.
Peterson's legal team are pushing the case forward, looking more likely that they want to leave it up to a jury in Conroe to decide if what Peterson did to his son was child abuse or discipline.
Some streets were closed in Conroe, where a circus-like atmosphere marked the beginning of the running back's criminal court case.
Peterson described his mood as "relaxed" when he arrived at the courthouse Wednesday morning. He sat in the front row of Judge Kelly Case's courtroom where only once he was called upon.
After an hour it was Peterson's turn. And, prosecutors made it clear they wanted a new judge. Just days before, Case had called attorneys on both sides "media whores."
"I apologize to both of you," said Judge Case to both attorneys. "That's not how I feel about any of you. I think you're doing a great job."
He seemed to bend to Peterson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, when considering moving up a trial date on his calendar.
"If he is allowed to remain on the case … he's got to have it on the docket of December the first," Hardin said. "That's not set in stone or anything, that's still to be determined by a judge."
Peterson will also continue to have no contact with the 4-year-old son he's charged with whipping with a switch so severely that doctors described seeing sores and bruises 10 days later.
"This is a really good man that I'm incredibly proud to represent," Hardin told a pack of reporters, adding that Peterson is a loving parent and meant no harm that day.
Both sides will be back in court on Nov. 4 to see if a new judge is assigned to the case.
The Minnesota Vikings chose not to make a statement Wednesday on Peterson's future with the team, deferring all questions to his attorney.
Rusty Hardin also asked the judge to seal some "extraneous acts" filed by prosecutors Wednesday.
It's unclear what the paperwork contains, but Hardin told a judge it would make it impossible for his client to get a fair trial if they were made public.
The judge agreed and will keep them sealed for now.