Montgomery County man accused of repeated child abuse
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Montgomery County man has been charged with four counts of child abuse after multiple children reported repeated abuse to law enforcement.
Eric Peterson, of Middletown, has a bond hearing scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Thursday. A warrant was issued on Wednesday and no bond was set.
The probable cause statement describes three children giving multiple accounts of alleged abuse over the course of several years. A ceiling allegedly caved in and caused an injury to one of the victim’s faces, while leaking water, dog feces and the kitchen of the home “had unknown substances thrown all over the walls,” a deputy wrote after visiting the home.
One of the victims described Peterson throwing a bottle of pills at them, with Peterson telling them to die by suicide, the statement says. The same victim reported assaults of other siblings and allegedly “take blame” for their siblings to try to divert abuse toward them, the statement says.
Another victim with a described disability was allegedly assaulted repeatedly, including on Peterson’s wedding day, the statement says. One of the victims allegedly described an incident where Peterson sent dogs after one of the victims after pushing them, the statement says.
Another victim described being choked and hurt by Peterson, according to the statement.
Peterson allegedly denied all allegations to a deputy, but the deputy wrote Peterson had been drinking before getting interviewed.