A Texas man has been sentenced to 35 years behind bars after abducting a 13-year-old girl in San Antonio, transporting her to California, threatening her with a firearm, and sexually assaulting her. He was apprehended back on July 9, 2023, outside a laundromat in Long Beach, according to the New York Post.
The girl was rescued from her captor, who is now 63-year-old. The rescue occurred outside a laundromat in Long Beach. The teen wrote “Help Me!” in red ink on a torn paper while sitting in a silver Nissan Sentra, prompting a bystander to contact officials. When officers arrived, she silently mouthed “help,” and they luckily, freed her from the vehicle.
Steven Robert Sablan from Cleburne, Texas, pleaded guilty to kidnapping in Jan. 2024. He has been in federal custody since the incident and has been “ordered to pay $1,158 in restitution,” according to authorities, reports say.
Joseph T. McNally Acting U.S. Atty. said, “The 35-year sentence imposed ensures this defendant will not have the opportunity to victimize children… There is nothing as important as protecting our young people. I commend our federal and local law enforcement partners for their efforts to secure justice here.”
Sablan admitted to kidnapping the victim, who said she was 13, in San Antonio and driving her to Long Beach while using a gun to control her. During the trip to California, the girl was sexually assaulted.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
