The victim scrawled the words in red letters on a shredded piece of paper and held it up in a laundromat parking lot.
A 13-year-old kidnap victim was rescued in Southern California, USA, after writing ‘Help me’ on a note to alert passersby, leading to the arrest of the kidnapper.
Steven Robert Sablan, 61, a resident of Cleburne, Texas, was charged with one count of kidnapping and another of transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, according to local media reports.
According to the indictment, on July 6 the victim was walking down a street when Sablan, driving a gray Nissan Sentra, approached him. Apparently, the individual threatened the minor with a gun, ordering her to get into the vehicle: “If you don’t get in the car with me, I’m going to hurt you,” she said. Fearing for her life, the victim complied, court documents allege.
Over the next two days, Sablan allegedly drove the victim from Texas to California, and allegedly sexually assaulted the minor on multiple occasions.
Police said the victim scrawled the words in red letters on a shredded piece of paper and held up the sign as she was inside a car in the parking lot of a laundromat on the morning of July 9. That poster caught the attention of the people who were passing by, so they alerted the authorities.
After checking the license plate of the vehicle, the agents learned that the suspect was wanted for the crime of robbery and was considered armed and dangerous. In addition, he also had previous convictions for robbery and drug possession, according to CNN.
If convicted of both charges against the minor, Sablan could be sentenced to life in prison.
Source: RT
