A 47 year old man from Brookings is sitting in a federal prison for the rest of his life following his conviction on two counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child.
Joesph Darrell Peterson, Jr was sentenced September 21st.
Over the course of twelve years, starting in 2006 when the child was just 6 years old, Peterson began to groom and sexually assault her. Peterson lived in the home with the child and was a parental figure to her in various locations. The child was able to escape the home and abuse when she was 19. Then in 2023, she summoned the courage to report the abuse to law enforcement. An investigation ensued resulting in the federal prosecution and leading to the guilty verdicts and sentence.
Following sentencing, Peterson was immediately remanded to the custody of the U-S Marshal’s Service to begin serving his sentence.