PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Disturbing new details in the kidnapping of a 7-year-old Tigard boy were detailed in court documents released on Friday.
Police say James Harmon grabbed the boy on Wednesday while the child was playing outside at the Fields Apartment Complex near Southwest Hunziker Road.
Harmon allegedly took the boy inside his apartment and locked the door.
The boy’s mother and other neighbors broke down the door and later found Harmon and the child outside, authorities said.
However, Harmon had taken the boy into his bathroom while his mother was fighting to get inside, according to the probable cause documents. When authorities arrived at the scene, officers found a bathtub full of water, bath toys, a rope and a knife in the bathroom, the court filing stated.
In an interview with KOIN 6 News, Ashley Scott said she lived in the apartment next to Harmon’s for almost a year and frequently chatted with him, until about a month ago when she said he started to show manic behavior.
Scott said she saw the kidnapping unfold and saw something wasn’t right.
“We see him walking with the little boy down the hill, then he walks him back, then he comes in and takes him into his house,” Scott explained.
When the boy’s mother and neighbors finally knocked down the door, Scott said she saw the moment the 56-year-old allegedly ran out of the apartment with the boy and then let the boy go.
“He just kinda let him out and let his hand go,” Scott said.
Harmon will be back in court on March 25. It’s unclear if he has an attorney.