Lathrop Man Charged with Four Felonies

The Clinton County Prosecutor’s Office charged a man who is accused of holding a woman against her will and torturing her for over two days. James Larson Jr. of Lathrop was charged Monday with domestic assault, kidnapping, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm.

On Saturday, May 14, Deputies and Missouri State Highway Patrol Troopers responded to a call from a female who had escaped from Larson’s residence on SE Apache Drive in Lake Arrowhead. The probable cause statement from the Sheriff’s Office says the woman had first met Larson on Facebook, and then met him in person on last Tuesday. 

The victim told authorities she had been with Larson for two days, and during the time he assaulted her several times, threatened her, and did not allow her to leave the residence. She said she was finally able to escape after Larson had fallen asleep.

SWAT team members and K9 Merlin located Larson hiding in the residence behind a false wall. He was taken into custody without incident after the five hour stand-off.

Clinton County Sheriff Larry Fish anticipated trouble when Larson was released from prison: “Since this subject’s release from prison two weeks ago, three weeks ago, we kind of expected something would happen because the subject is not a stranger to law enforcement,” said Larry Fish.

Larson remains in custody without bond, and the victim is at a local hospital with multiple injuries.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story