Brookings man sentenced to life in prison on two sexual abuse of a child charges

A Brookings man has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of federal sexual child abuse charges. According to the US Attorney for South Dakota, 47-year-old Joseph Darrell Peterson Jr., was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty by a federal jury in June on two counts aggravated sexual abuse of a child. Federal prosecutors say Peterson groomed and sexually assaulted the victim for 12 years beginning when the child was six years old. The victim escaped at at 19 and reported Peterson’s activities to law enforcement.