A man who attacked a boy leaving the public library on Jackson Road in 2019 pleaded guilty Thursday, March 31, to cruelty to children.
Armous M. Peterson, 35, has a long history of mental illness and substance abuse before he wandered away from his Columbia, S.C., home and ended up in Augusta. On June 10, 2019, outside the Friedman Library, Peterson punched a 9-year-old boy in the face, knocking him off his feet, and then hit him several more times before walking off, according to statements made during Peterson’s Richmond County Superior Court sentencing hearing Thursday.
Peterson has been in jail since his arrest following the assault on the child whom he didn’t know. Peterson underwent a mental health evaluation during that time and was found to be competent for trial.
Peterson’s mother pleaded for Judge Amanda Heath to include mental health treatment in the sentence, or she feared he would spiral downward again. Heath sentenced Peterson to five years in prison followed by five years on probation.
Peterson will get credit on the prison term for the time he has already been incarcerated. Heath also ordered a diagnostic mental health evaluation and substance abuse evaluation. Peterson will have to comply with any treatment recommendation as part of his sentence.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.
