North Texas man gets 35 years for kidnapping 13-year-old girl at gunpoint
LOS ANGELES - A Cleburne man will spend the next three-and-a-half decades in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to kidnapping a 13-year-old girl at gunpoint in San Antonio and taking her to California.
Steven Robert Sablan, 63, was sentenced to 420 months in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $1,100 in restitution by a federal judge in California on Friday.
He pleaded guilty in January 2024 to one count of kidnapping.
'Help Me' note: Cleburne man pleads guilty to kidnapping 13-year-old girl who wrote escape note
Steven Sablan kidnapped the girl from San Antonio last year after he drove up next to her and threatened her, according to an affidavit.
What they're saying:
"The 35-year sentence imposed ensures this defendant will not have the opportunity to victimize children," said Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally. "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."
13-year-old girl kidnapped from Texas waves 'help me' note to people passing by in LA County
A 13-year-old sexual assault survivor who was kidnapped from Texas waved a note that read "help me" to people passing by in Long Beach.
"Mr. Sablan took this young girl from the safety of her Texas home and repeatedly sexually assaulted her at gunpoint throughout a lengthy drive of terror to California," said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. "The FBI will not tolerate sexual deviants who exploit our children at will and – as in this case – will hold these violent offenders accountable."
"This sentencing announcement represents a collaborative commitment to holding individuals accountable for victimizing and inflicting trauma upon our children," said Long Beach Police Chief Wally Hebeish. "I am deeply grateful to our officers and federal law enforcement partners from the FBI and DOJ for their tireless efforts on this case."
The backstory:
Prosecutors said Sablen abducted the girl on July 6, 2023, in San Antonio.
He then sexually assaulted her and used a firearm to control the girl while driving her to Long Beach, California.
In this undated photo released by the U.S Department of Justice is a "Help Me!" sign used by a 13-year-old girl kidnapped in Texas. The girl was rescued in Southern California on July 9, 2023, when passersby saw her hold up the sign in a parked car,
She was rescued after a good Samaritan called 911 after seeing the girl holding a "Help Me" sign in the window of Sablan's car.