A Texas man has pleaded guilty to kidnapping a 13-year-old girl who was rescued in Southern California after a passerby saw her holding up a “Help Me!” sign. Sign on parked car.
a statement On Friday, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced in a plea agreement that Stephen Robert Sablan, 62, of Cleburne, Texas, sexually assaulted the victim while driving him from Texas to California. announced that it had been approved.
The girl was rescued from Long Beach, south of Los Angeles, on July 9 after a passerby called 911 to report seeing her holding up a piece of paper with a frantic handwritten plea for help.
According to prosecutors, Sablan has been in federal custody since July 2023 and has pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping.
His attorney, Deputy Federal Defender Nadine Hettle, declined to comment Saturday.
In July, Sablan was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of kidnapping and transporting a minor for the purpose of committing a criminal sexual act.
In an affidavit supporting the criminal charges, FBI agents say the girl was walking down a San Antonio street on July 6 when Sablan drove up to her, raised a black handgun and said, “I'm going to drive with you.'' If you don't ride it,” he wrote, he wrote. , I'm going to hurt you.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 25th, and Sablan faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
