A 13yearold girl kidnapped in the state Texasus USwas rescued in the south California As people passed the parked car she was in, they saw her holding a “help me” sign. According to police, the kidnapper was arrested on Thursday 20th and charged.
US Department of Justice photo shows “help me” note from 13yearold girl kidnapped in Texas. Photo: US Department of Justice via AP
The rescue took place on July 9 in Long Beach south of Los Angeleswhen officers responded to an 911 call and found the “girl was visibly emotional and distressed,” police said in a press release.
“Through their investigation, officers learned that the Good Samaritans were in a parking lot when they saw the victim in a parked vehicle, holding a piece of paper that said ‘Help Me.’ They recognized the clue and immediately called 911 [telefone local da polícia]’ the police said.
The girl was walking down a street on July 6 when Steven Robert Sablan, 61, of Cleburne, Texas, approached her in a Nissan Sentra. Sablan allegedly raised a gun and urged the victim to get into the car. He said, “If you don’t get in the car with me, I’m going to hurt you.”
Sablan allegedly started riding in the car with the victim and asked how old she was. The victim replied that he was 13 years old and after mentioning that he had a boyfriend in Australia, Sablan reportedly told the victim that he could take her on a cruise ship to visit that friend but that she needed to do something for him first. He then repeatedly sexually abused the victim, according to court records.
Sablan allegedly drove the victim from Texas to California over the next two days and sexually assaulted her at least twice more. The man left his car in a Long Beach parking lot and took his clothes to a laundromat while the victim stayed in the car and wrote the note to get others’ attention.
Sablan, 61, of Cleburne, Texas, was arrested and indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday for kidnapping and transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, according to US Attorneys in Los Angeles. Sablan was being held at the Federal Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles. He could be sentenced to life imprisonment.
The girl was placed in the care of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services./With AP