Fresno DA dismisses case against accused kidnapper and pedophile, but for good reason
The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office dismissed charges against accused kidnapper and pedophile Nathan Larson on Wednesday. But Larson isn’t getting out of jail anytime soon.
The DA’s office agreed to hand the case over to the U.S. Attorney’s office for prosecution. Larson is accused of plotting to kidnap a 12-year-old Fresno girl and take her to Catlett, Virginia, where he lives and ran for state political office in 2017.
Larson, an accountant and advocate for pedophilia, did not appear in Fresno County Superior Court on Wednesday; he is under the coronavirus quarantine at the county jail.
Still, the criminal case against him proceeded. Midori Howo, chief deputy district attorney, requested that the charges against Larson be dismissed without prejudice and Judge Michael Idiart approved it.
Larson is expected to be arraigned in Fresno federal court in the coming days.
Larson was indicted by a federal grand jury in Fresno on Jan. 28 and charged with kidnapping, transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, coercion and enticement of a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, and receipt and distribution of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors.
If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum of three life sentences plus 50 years.
Court documents revealed that Larson prowled social media platforms used by young people to scout for potential victims. He groomed his Fresno victim for months before convincing her to run away with him.
He was caught at the Denver International Airport on Dec. 14 after the girl’s parents reported her missing and law enforcement agencies in several states began looking for them.
According to the criminal complaint, the 12-year-old told investigators that Larson’s plan was to take her virginity and get her pregnant by 13.
Larson served 14 months of a 16-month sentence in federal prison in 2008 for threatening to kill the president. At the time, George Bush was outgoing and Barack Obama was elected in November of that year.
Larson remains in the Fresno County Jail with bail set at $200,000.
