Charlie Garner

Opinion Editor

avg6206@psu.edu

Steven Robert Sablan, a 62 year old man from Texas, has been found guilty of kidnapping a 13 year old girl. She was rescued after holding up a “Help Me” sign while she was trapped in the back of the man’s car. 

According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Sablan admitted to kidnapping the girl at gunpoint last July and taking her from San Antonio to California. He has also admitted to committing sexual assault on multiple occurrences. 

Three days into being captured, the girl was rescued on July 9, after a bystander spotted her sign in a parked car. They had acknowledged the note and immediately dialed 9-1-1. According to police statements, the girl also mouthed the words “help me” to this bystander while Sablan was inside of a nearby laundromat. The police detained the man and found a firearm in his vehicle, which was later said to have been used to intimidate the victim after finding her at a bus stop in San Antonio. 

The Chief of Police in Long Beach, California wants to commend community members for calling 9-1-1 and ultimately saving the girl. Sablan’s sentencing hearing has been set for October later this year, in which he will be serving a minimum mandatory sentence of 20 years federal prison.