A Cloquet man pleaded guilty Friday to kidnapping his 7-year-old son in March and admitted that the act terrorized the boy's mother, who feared for the youngster's life.
James Leon Nordrum, 42, pleaded guilty in State District Court in Duluth to kidnapping and obliterating a serial number from a firearm. A charge of deprivation of custodial or parental rights was dismissed as part of a negotiated settlement with the St. Louis County Attorney's Office.
Under questioning by St. Louis County prosecutor Jessica Smith, Nordrum said he "just snapped" because he thought he would never see his son again if his estranged wife gained custody.
Defense attorney Terri Port Wright told Judge Heather Sweetland that Nordrum took good care of the boy during the 11 days they were in hiding and that he didn't harm him. The defendant said he and his son played games and had fun together.
The guideline sentence for kidnapping a person younger than 16 without causing bodily harm is nearly five years in prison, 58 months. Smith told the court her office is withdrawing its request for a longer-than-guideline sentence, but said she will seek a guideline sentence.
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Candice Nordrum filed to divorce the defendant in January 2011. On March 27, the day Nordrum kidnapped his son, he was scheduled to be in court for a hearing about custody of the boy.
When James Nordrum failed to appear for that hearing, a judge expressed "grave concerns about the well-being of the child" and issued an order granting sole legal and physical custody of the boy to his mother.
But the defendant went into hiding with his son. Law enforcement learned that the defendant had been making suicidal threats at the prospect of losing custody of the child. There also were concerns that he wasn't taking the medication necessary to control and maintain his mental health.
Nordrum and his son, Wyatt, now 8, were found in a rural cabin in St. Louis County's Stoney Brook Township on April 7 with the help of tips from the public. The disappearance of Nordrum and the boy prompted a statewide Amber Alert.
According to law enforcement reports, the boy wasn't harmed physically, but Nordrum stabbed himself during the rescue. The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office was assisted in the rescue of the boy by the Carlton County Sheriff's Office, Fond du Lac and Cloquet police departments, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Anoka County Sheriff's Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Nordrum's conviction on a charge of obliterating the serial number from a firearm followed his admission that he tried to sand the serial number off the weapon so it couldn't be traced to him. However, authorities were able to restore the number and link it to the defendant, Smith said.
Port Wright told the court she intends to file a motion asking the court to hand down a less-than-guideline sentence. To depart from sentencing guidelines, Sweetland will have to find that there are "substantial and compelling" reasons to do so.
Sweetland instructed an Arrowhead Regional Corrections probation officer to investigate Nordrum's background before sentencing on Sept. 6. The defendant is being held in the St. Louis County Jail.
