With extra security in courtroom, Northland man arraigned on charges of kidnapping son

The Cloquet man accused of kidnapping his 7-year-old son and stabbing and critically injuring himself when law enforcement officers rescued the boy, was arraigned this morning on charges of kidnapping and deprivation of custodial or parental rights.

James Leon Nordrum Jr., 42, made his court appearance behind glass in a secured area of the St. Louis County Courthouse arraignment courtroom. Six courtroom security officers were in the courtroom as a safety precaution in what the prosecutor later called a highly emotional custody matter.

There were no incidents.

Assistant St. Louis County Attorney Jessica Smith asked the court to set bail at $150,000. She told Judge Sally Tarnowski that based on his past acts Nordrum poses a substantial risk to public safety and is a risk to flee because he faces a presumed prison sentence if convicted.

Smith said the defendant has a history of fleeing from law enforcement and has been suicidal. The prosecutor also asked the court for an order of protection to keep Nordrum from contacting his estranged wife in person, through a third party, or through any mailing or any kind of electronic correspondence.

Defense attorney Terri Port Wright argued that such an order isn’t necessary. She pointed out that Candice Nordrum and the couple’[s son, Wyatt — who turns 8 on Saturday — live in Canada and her client isn’t allowed to enter that country. Tarnowski issued the order for protection and told Nordrum to have no contact with his wife or child. Tarnowski set bail at $150,000.

The defendant and his son were found in a rural cabin in St. Louis County’s Stoney Brook Township at 11:23 p.m. Saturday with the help of tips from the public. The boy was not harmed physically.

Candice Nordrum filed to divorce her husband in January 2011. According to court records, Nordrum was scheduled to be in State District Court in Duluth for a motion hearing regarding his pending divorce trial on the day he disappeared with his son. The disappearance of Nordrum and his son prompted a statewide Amber Alert.

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.

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