Clinton County prosecutors charged James Larson Jr. with a number of violent crimes on Monday, May 16.
Authorities allege Larson Jr. kidnapped a Missouri woman and tortured her for two days inside his father’s house.
Prosecutors charged Larson Jr. with first-degree domestic assault, kidnapping, armed criminal action, and unlawful possession of a concealable firearm.
On Saturday, May 14, around 9:30 a.m., the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call out of Lake Arrowhead that a woman who had been held against her will had just escaped.
The woman had managed to flee her captor and make her way to a neighboring house to call 911.
A five-hour standoff ensued after additional sheriff’s deputies and tactical vehicles arrived at the home of Larson Sr.
Larson Sr. surrendered himself to the police outside and warned them that his son was armed and suicidal.
Eventually, the Tri-County SWAT team entered the home and, with the assistance of a K-9 unit, found Larson Jr. hiding behind a false wall.
Larson Jr. had been released from an Oklahoma prison just a few weeks prior and come to Missouri to stay with his father.
According to the Kansas City Star, Larson Jr. met the alleged victim on a dating app. He picked her up from Kansas City and brought her back to his father’s home.
Following an argument, Larson Jr. reportedly proceeded to violently assault her for two days. He allegedly beat her severely, hit her with an icepick, and slit part of her throat. He is also said to have refused to allow her to eat, drink, or use the bathroom.
The woman is currently hospitalized in “guarded critical condition.”
In an interview with KCTV, Larson Sr. recounted how he heard the woman screaming and at one point confronted his son, who he said brandished a shotgun and threatened to kill them all.
Larson Sr. claims he helped the woman escape.
“I told her how to get out of here and where to go – ‘Just go, don’t look back. Just go, make sure you get out of here,'” he said.
He continued, “I wanted to call the cops. It probably would have been a better decision.”
