Former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson turned himself in to Houston authorities early Saturday morning. On Friday a grand jury indicted Peterson on charges of whipping his 4-year-old son with a tree branch. Peterson, physician 29, sales was booked into jail at 1 a.m. Saturday and released 30 minutes later on $15,000 bond. Houston police released this mugshot of an arrogant Peterson smiling as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

Peterson’s son lives in Minnesota with his mother. The boy traveled to Texas in May to visit with Peterson. The boy’s mother noticed fresh injuries on her son’s back, buttocks, legs and scrotum after Peterson returned him to her. A week later she took the child to a doctor who notified Houston police of a possible child abuse case.

Peterson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, said Peterson used a tree branch to “spank” his son for pushing another son who lived with him. Hardin said Peterson used the same type of discipline that he experienced as a child growing up in east Texas.

Hardin said the injuries to the boy were “unintentional” — which is hard to believe considering Peterson reportedly whipped the child over 40 times because he refused to cry. The boy had defensive wounds on his hands and his scrotum was split.

Before returning the boy to his mother, Peterson sent her a text message admitting he hit the child on his scrotum. “Never do I go overboard!,” he wrote. “But all my kids will know, hey daddy has he biggest heart but don’t play no games when it comes to acting right.”

The Montgomery County DA’s office said Peterson went way beyond the limits of “reasonable discipline,” and that is why he was indicted for child abuse.

Peterson is a promiscuous athlete with numerous illegitimate children spread across the country. Ironically, another of Peterson’s sons was beaten to death by his mother’s boyfriend in October. Joseph Patterson, 27, will be tried next month on second-degree murder charges.

Adrian Peterson faces up to two years in prison if he is convicted of aggravated child abuse. He was suspended by the Vikings and will not play in Sunday’s home game against the NEw England Patriots.