Judge Kelly Case set the date Wednesday as Peterson made his first court appearance in suburban Houston for the incident that occurred earlier this year. Peterson did not enter a plea, though his attorney said he eventually will plead not guilty to the charge that carries a penalty of up to two years in prison.
Peterson is on paid leave, and the Vikings’ final regular-season game is set for Dec. 28.
Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon indicated he intends to file a motion to recuse the judge after Case allegedly called attorneys in the case “media whores.” Case apologized, but a Nov. 4 hearing was scheduled on whether to assign a new judge.
Defense attorney Rusty Hardin said he wants to try the case as quickly as possible to get Peterson back to playing football.
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