Photo: Instagram
The weapon was made of pencils and blades.
By Elizabeth Ward — Written on Oct 23, 2019
On October 9th, 2019, son of Real Housewives of Orange County star Lauri Peterson, Josh Waring, was violently attacked by a fellow inmate.
Peterson shared graphic photos of the aftermath indicating just how violent Josh’s assault was. The reason for the assault is not yet known and this is not the first instance of assault on Waring, according to his mother. Waring required 20 staples in his chest and multiple stitches on his face. The inmate who attacked him allegedly used a makeshift weapon to attack Waring.
“It kills me to see this,” Peterson told Radar in an exclusive interview, insisting the Orange County, California jail lacks proper security to keep inmates safe. “The guards have a duty to serve and protect…A dead man can’t talk. A dead man can’t pursue his civil action against the county." Peterson continued.
Waring returned to court on October 18th.
Who is Josh Warning?
1. He's been in jail since 2016 for allegedly shooting a man.
According to Radar, Waring was arrested in June 2016 for shooting a man and then fleeing from law enforcement in a stolen car.
After a brief standoff with police in Santa Ana, California, he was arrested. The shooting victim was taken to a hospital in serious condition but was expected to survive. Both Waring and his mother maintain Waring's innocence and feel his arrest was unjust.
2. The attack involved a makeshift weapon.
Waring told Radar an inmate assaulted him with a makeshift weapon made of a pencil and blades.
“I was fighting for my life. I was screaming,” Waring said. “As he’s punching me, the blade sliced up my face and chest.”
3. Waring's mother responds
The former Real Housewives star told Us Weekly, “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 [means] 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." She also shared photos of the cuts and bruises stating that he required stitches in his face and twenty staples to his chest.
4. This wasn’t Waring’s first jail attack.
Peterson also told Us Weekly Waring's been attacked before — but not to this extent. “I’m tired of hearing that it was a ‘mistake’ that they let inmates in to kill Josh,” Peterson said. “I do not believe any longer that these are simply mistakes.”
5. Peterson believes her son is falsely accused of murder.
Waring was arrested in June 2016 after allegedly shooting a man in California and leaving the scene in a stolen car. His bail is set for more than $1 million. Both Waring and Peterson have denied all allegations and maintain his innocence.
“Josh is innocent for what he has been falsely accused of,” Peterson said. “He is innocent.”
6. Waring battled a heroin addiction.
Waring has struggled with a drug addiction for years and was even arrested for possession at one time. According to Page Six, "In 2008, [Waring] was arrested for possession of heroin along with three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, three counts of unauthorized possession of a hypodermic needle or syringe, being under the influence of a controlled substance, false report of criminal offense, and possessing a controlled substance without a prescription." Peterson also shared with Bravo TV that since then, Josh has gotten clean in jail and no longer uses.
Elizabeth Ward is a writing student finishing her bachelor’s at the University of Louisville. She covers news, entertainment, relationships and everything in between.