KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A woman who was tortured at a home in Lake Arrowhead, Missouri, earlier this month is speaking for the very first time since the incident.
“I met somebody on Facebook Dating. He seemed pretty cool, ya know? I thought I had found somebody, ya know, and it turned out to be a complete Jekyll and Hyde,” 30-year-old Preacious Brower said during an interview with FOX4 Thursday.
Brower said she was picked up by 29-year-old James Larson Jr. in the city. He had just gotten out of prison a few weeks prior.
Brower said the two of them drove to Larson’s father’s place at the lake, right off I-35, about 45 minutes northeast of the city.
On Thursday, Brower said everything was fine the first couple of days — but then things took a dramatic turn.
“He took a big bowie knife, and he kept hitting me with it. He cut my hair out, took my dentures away and my glasses, and he kept hitting me with random objects,” she said.
Larson’s father said the woman tried to get free as Larson Jr. slept. She claimed he was on drugs.
Fortunately, deputies said the woman got away and called police from a neighbor’s home. The sheriff’s office found her with multiple injuries, including a brain bleed.
On May 14, tactical units surrounded the home on S.E. Apache Drive in Clinton County, Missouri. They arrested Larson Jr. after a 5-hour standoff, finding him behind a false wall.
After the traumatic experience, Brower said she’s scared to meet anyone.
“I’m scared to be dating anybody,” she continued. “I can’t even look at myself in the mirror or want to go out in public because I screwed up.”
Brower said she was looking for love in the wrong place. Regardless, she’s happy Larson Jr. has been arrested and has advice for people who do use apps to try to meet someone.
“Just meet them in a public place for quite some time because you don’t know… you don’t know who anybody is or what they’re capable of,” she said.
FOX4 asked the Clinton County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Office whether they plan on pressing charges against Larson Sr. Maj. Trevor Ballard said they do not currently.
On Thursday, a GoFundMe was set up for Brower. If you’re interested in donating to it, you can find more information here.