LACROSSE, Wis. —A La Crosse teenager who won national attention as a child prodigy for his crochet mastery has been arrested for a rape on a 16-year-old girl. Jonah Larson, age 17, also was charged with false imprisonment. The arrest was based on probable cause. The county attorney hasn’t yet drafted a criminal complaint.
Larson. In orange at LaCrosse County jail.
Quilts, headgear, rugs, toys. He crafts them all and super fast. He does it five hours a day.
His limelight fading?
When he was 14, Larson became a celebrity for his speed-erocheting. His story was remarkable. He was adopted from a Nigerian orphanage as an infat. By age 5 he was the fastest crocheter LaCrosse, perhaps the nation. He showed his mastery with needles and hooks as a guest on ABC television’s “Good Morning America.” A multicolor crochet flower tote bag he designed went on display at the Smithsonan Institute. A video went viral with 386,000 Instagram follower. He wrote a book and used the revenueue to Nigerian orphans. At his Central High School in LaCrosse he was a featured speaker from his class.