A 13-year-old girl was saved from her kidnapper this summer, after she held up a sheet of paper with the inscription “help me”.
The teenager was thus able to alert bystanders in a parking lot after her kidnapper had entered a laundromat in Long Beach, California, according to CNN.
The girl was abducted three days earlier as she walked along the sidewalk in her hometown of San Antonio, Texas.
Was threatened with a weapon
Steven Robert Sablan (62), who pleaded guilty on Friday last week, is said to have threatened the girl into the car with a handgun.
According to court documents, the 62-year-old allegedly said: “If you don’t get in the car, I’m going to hurt you.”
Banned from shop: – Say sorry
On the road trip from Texas to California, the girl is said to have been subjected to repeated sexual assaults.
According to the police, reproduced by CNN, Sablan must have been inside a laundromat when the girl in the car saw her cut to alert passers-by on 9 July last year. An alert person saw the teenager’s cries for help and immediately called 911.
Previous convictions
It turned out the man was wanted for burglary in Forth Worth, Texas, and was considered armed and dangerous. The 62-year-old has previously been convicted of robbery and drug possession.
– The first sign was the bruises
On Friday 19 January, Sablan pleaded guilty according to the indictment, as part of a “plea agreement” – translated in Norwegian to plea bargaining.
This means that the defendant pleads guilty in return for a lighter sentence.
According to an updated article from CNN, Sablan risks a minimum sentence of 20 years. He will also be registered as a sex offender after completing his sentence.
Steven Robert Sablan is scheduled to be sentenced on March 25. CNN has not been able to get a comment from the man’s defense attorney.
2024-01-24 06:35:34
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