A former International Falls man who kidnapped his 7-year-old son from his ex-wife for 11 days in March was sentenced Thursday to two years at the Northeast Regional Corrections Center and 10 years of supervised probation and was ordered to undergo chemical dependency and mental health evaluations, according to news reports.
James Leon Nordrum, 42, Cloquet, escaped a 68-month prison sentence when his defense attorney, Terri Port Wright, argued to Judge Heather Sweetland that there were substantial and compelling reasons for her client to be treated locally while on probation and not sent to prison.
Port Wright argued in a written memorandum to the court that Nordrum qualified for a shorter-than-guideline sentence and probation because he didn’t physically harm his son, was cooperative with law enforcement, respectful and remorseful in court, and that he was amenable to probation.
The boy was rescued at the cabin on April 7 by members of several law enforcement agencies.
Candice Nordrum, formerly of Fort Frances, gave a victim impact statement to the court in which she said her 2001 marriage to the defendant started to unravel in 2004 because of his use of methamphetamine. She said she put up with six years of her ex-husband’s violent and unpredictable behavior.
Before being sentenced, Nordrum apologized to his ex-wife and to her parents. The defendant said there was a lot he would like to say, but said he didn’t want to make excuses. “I screwed up,” he said.
St. Louis County prosecutor Jessica Smith conceded that there were substantial and compelling reasons for the court to depart from sentencing guidelines and she didn’t argue against the probationary sentence. She deferred to the court.
