Fresno federal judge orders mental evaluation for pedophile accused of kidnapping child
A federal judge has ordered kidnapping suspect and admitted pedophile Nathan Larson to be evaluated for mental competency.
The 40-year-old Virginia man faces several felony charges in connection with the kidnapping of a 12-year-old Fresno girl he allegedly intended to sexually assault and impregnate.
He found her on a rape/kidnap fetish website he operated online from his home in Virginia, court records show.
Federal prosecutors said in court documents that they want a mental illness review based on an “extended series of events that have continued to unfold, from the 1990s through this action’s last court appearance in April 2021.”
“The government submits that there is reasonable cause to believe that the defendant may presently be suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering him mentally incompetent to the extent that he is unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him or to assist properly in his defense,” according to the government’s motion.
On Friday, Magistrate Judge Dale A. Drozd approved the U.S. Attorney’s motion.
Larson’s attorney Peter M. Jones agreed to the evaluation, saying he intends to pursue a defense of not guilty by reason of insanity. Jones said the Federal Bureau of Prisons will select a location for the examination.
Long criminal history
Larson, previously described by Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims as a “white supremacist and a well-known advocate for pedophilia,” was arrested at Denver International Airport on Dec. 14 in what police believe was a scheme to take the girl with him to Catlett, Virginia, where he lives.
According to court documents, Larson has a long history of mental illness. When he was in the 11th grade he was charged in juvenile court with assault, battery and malicious wounding of a police officer.
The incident was sparked by Larson taking out his revenge on a classmate by saving up his urine and spraying it on the other boy.
At 19, he began having thoughts of suicide and was placed in a hospital in Virginia on a 72-hour hold.
In 2008, Larson was convicted in Colorado for threatening to assassinate President George W. Bush.
He served 16 months in custody. Prior to his sentencing, the district court in Colorado ordered Larson to undergo two separate psychiatric and/or psychological examinations.
“In one instance, the examiner reported that defendant’s mother advised that he had experienced suicidal thoughts since he was a teenager, and likewise told her when he was a teenager that he would “not feel a thing” if he killed her with an axe,” according to court documents.
After his release from prison, Larson wrote a letter to his parole agent, advising him he was not going to follow the conditions of his release, including staying away from drugs and firearms.
“If you happen to hear the distinctive sound of the gunfire of a Solothurn S-18/100 20mm Anti-Tank Cannon emanating from my backyard, as cardboard cutouts of statist federal politicians, federal judges, federal prosecutors and federal agents become riddled with large, ragged bullet holes, please know that there is nothing amiss; it is just me engaged in target practice...” according to court documents.
In 2018, Larson ran for Congress in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District but later withdrew. In a Huffington Post article about his candidacy, he was reported to have “endorsed child rape, father-daughter marriage, killing women and raping virgins.”
Prosecutors in his current case describe Larson’s behavior as peculiar during his court appearances. Court records show Larson objected to appearing via Zoom, and wearing a mask in court.
He wrote a letter to the magistrate judge on April 23 where he characterized the kidnapping and child exploitation charges against him as “a test case and/or case involving civil disobedience.”
He also described himself as being among “idealists (who are) willing to make personal sacrifices for what they know is right.”
In another letter, dated April 28, 2021 letter to the magistrate judge, he described his actions as “fearless” and a product not of “unsound mind” but rather a “high-minded philosophy superior to what is currently embraced by the establishment and reflected in its laws.”
Larson is due back in court on July 23.
This story was originally published June 11, 2021 at 3:47 PM.
