CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Federal charges have been filed against a former Altamont karate instructor for his alleged
(Effingham County Sheriff’s Dept)
abduction earlier this year of a 13-year-old girl and taking her across state lines.
Multiple charges have been filed against Steven Larson in US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
The charges stem from the 60-year-old Larson and a 13-year-old girl from the Altamont area traveling to Missouri at the end of January.
The federal charges allege that Larson took the girl from Illinois to Missouri for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. The charges include two counts of statutory rape in the First Degree, two counts of statutory sodomy in the First Degree, one count of child molestation in the First Degree, one count of child molestation in the Second Degree, and one count of sexual misconduct involving a child.
The federal jurisdiction came into play due to the alleged intentional transport of the girl across state lines.
A hearing in the case is scheduled for Wednesday in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, when it will be determined whether Larson will remain in custody until his trial on the federal charges.
State charges against Larson in Effingham County and in Missouri are still pending, and the bonds paid in those cases remain in place, so Larson would remain in custody even if not held over by federal authorities. His bail in Effingham County is set at $250,000.
Online court records show Larson is charged in Effingham County with indecent solicitation of a child, unlawful restraint and obstructing justice as well as two counts of kidnapping.
Circuit court charges Larson faces in Missouri include child kidnapping, statutory rape in the first degree, and child molestation in the first degree.