Man Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping and Assaulting 13-Year-Old Girl
A man from Texas has entered a guilty plea for the kidnapping of a 13-year-old girl, who was rescued in Southern California after a passerby noticed her holding up a sign that read "Help Me!" while inside a parked car.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in the Central District of California released a statement on Friday, announcing that Steven Robert Sablan, a 62-year-old resident of Cleburne, Texas, confessed in a plea agreement to sexually assaulting the victim during their journey from Texas to California.
Sablan, who has been in federal custody since July 2023, pleaded guilty to a single count of kidnapping, according to prosecutors.
His attorney, Deputy Federal Public Defender Nadine Hettle, declined to provide any comments on the matter.
In July, Sablan was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of kidnapping and transporting a minor with the intention of engaging in criminal sexual activity.
FBI Agent Testifies in Case of Abduction Threat
An FBI agent testified in court that a young girl was threatened with abduction while walking down a street in San Antonio. The incident occurred on July 6, when the suspect, identified as Sablan, approached the girl in his car and pointed a black handgun at her. He then threatened to harm her if she did not get into the car with him.
The agent's testimony was part of a criminal complaint against Sablan, who now faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in federal prison. The maximum sentence he could receive is life imprisonment. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for October 25.
