A Northfield man suffering from "cannabis use disorder" and other psychotic problems has been committed to a treatment center after going on a drug-crazed rampage during the annual Rainbow Gathering in Superior National Forest, where he allegedly raped a woman, bit off part of a man's finger and attacked a sheriff's deputy.
Spencer R. Fredrickson, 21, was ordered by a Cook County district judge to be detained either at the Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter or the Anoka Regional Treatment Center.
Judge Michael Cuzzo's order calls for criminal proceedings against Fredrickson to be suspended until he regains competency to stand trial.
Fredrickson is charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct, first-degree assault and assault on a peace officer in connection with the Aug. 25 outburst that compelled other attendees to use duct tape to restrain him before officers arrived, according to the Cook County Sheriff's Office.
The court order included a doctor's findings that Fredrickson is not competent to stand trial and is afflicted with "cannabis use disorder with mild severity and other hallucinogen use disorder[s] with mild severity."
Experts say symptoms of cannabis use disorder include persisting in harmful actions and having difficulty controlling the drug's use while building an increased tolerance.
The doctor who examined Fredrickson detected the "presence of delusional thinking and speech disorganization characteristic of his mental condition," the order continued. The doctor said Fredrickson is at risk of harming himself and others, and jail is not a proper setting for him.
Since the early 1970s, Rainbow Gathering participants have been congregating yearly in remote forests as part of the Rainbow Family of Living Light. The U.S. Forest Service describes it as "a loose-knit group of people without leadership or organization who gather in national forests to discuss political and environmental issues, pray for world peace and celebrate life. ... Members come from all walks of life and multicultural backgrounds."
The Sheriff's Office said soon after arresting Fredrickson that he was under the influence of hallucinogens LSD, LSA and "morning glories," all of them classified as illicit drugs.
The Sheriff's Office and the County Attorney's Office said the incident started when Fredrickson groped a 40-year-old woman. When she rebuffed him, he tried to strangle her, then grabbed the bottom and top of her jaw, "pulling her face apart as hard as he could," the criminal complaint read.
The woman came to authorities some time later and described a far more violent sexual attack, which included him penetrating her digitally. That allegation led to the rape charge being added in mid-November.
Her screams prompted others to try to free her from Fredrickson, who was "exhibiting superhuman strength," a Sheriff's Office statement read. During the struggle, Fredrickson bit off part of a finger of one of the people who came to the woman's aid.
The woman's rescuers used duct tape to restrain him until a sheriff's deputy arrived. The deputy tried to keep Fredrickson from harming himself, but the man remained belligerent, digging into the deputy's gloves with his fingernails and breaking the skin beneath.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
