Lauri Peterson Speaks out After Her Son Is Allegedly Attacked in Jail
The RHOC alum's son, Josh Waring, has been charged with attempted murder.
The Real Housewives of Orange County alum Lauri Peterson is addressing her son, Joshua Waring, being allegedly attacked by a fellow inmate last Wednesday (October 9) while in custody at an Orange County, California jail.
“I am horrified, sad, brokenhearted, disgusted and appalled by my son’s condition! This situation should have never been allowed to happened as Josh is SEP, which is that he is never allowed contact with anyone! He is in a module that everyone in it is protective custody for varying reasons and never allowed to have contact with each other or anyone," Lauri told Us Weekly about his attack last week after visiting him. She also shared photos with the publication of the bruises and cuts Waring allegedly received in the attack, which resulted in stitches to his face and 20 staples to his chest.
She claimed he has been attacked before in custody: “I’m tired of hearing that it was a ‘mistake’ that they let inmates in to kill Josh,” Peterson told Us Weekly. “I do not believe any longer that these are simply mistakes.”
Waring is currently serving time in connection with a 2016 incident in which he was charged with three counts of attempted murder. He's currently awaiting trial, but maintains his innocence, as does his mother.
“Josh is innocent for what he has been falsely accused of. He is innocent!” she reiterated while speaking to Us Weekly, which reports that Waring is next slated to appear in court on October 18 in connection with his case.
Last year, Lauri, who adopted Josh's daughter, Kennedy, several years back, noted that while in prison, Josh has become clean after battling drug addiction for years, including heroin addiction (more on that above). And she now hopes that her son can find justice as she maintains she doesn't believe he committed the crime for which he's been charged.
"There's a hearing going on and there's a chance that this case may be dismissed. I hope that happens, so we can be spared all the stress of a jury trial," she told TODAY in October 2018. "If that doesn't happen, I hope that Josh is exonerated. He has been falsely accused and I think that the evidence will show that. And then I just hope that he leaves Orange County because he's got a target on his back and he needs to get out of Orange County. [He needs to] stay clean because right now, for the first time in 15 years, I have my son back."
Below, Lauri reflects more on adopting her granddaughter.
