A 13-year-old Texas girl who was allegedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted by her abductor was rescued after she caught the attention of a stranger using a makeshift “help me” sign.
Steven Robert Sablan, 61, of Cleburne, Texas, is charged with kidnapping and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity after he allegedly kidnapped the young teenager on July 6, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
According to a federal complaint, the 13-year-old was walking down the street to a bus stop in San Antonio when she was approached by Sablan in a silver Nissan. The girl’s mother, who reported her missing on July 7, told officers the girl left home without telling her parents, and that she was going to try to travel to Australia to visit a friend who’d moved there, the complaint said.
Sablan pulled out what looked like a handgun and told the girl, “If you don’t get in the car with me, I am going to hurt you,” authorities said, and she obeyed because she feared for her life.
According to the complaint, Sablan asked for the girl’s name and age, and she told him about her friend in Australia. He allegedly said he could take her on a cruise ship to see her friend if she did something for him first.
Sablan proceeded to sexually assault the 13-year-old in the back of his car at least 10 times despite repeatedly being told to stop, according to the complaint.
Prosecutors said the girl was scared that if she did not comply, Sablan would hurt her.
Over the next few days, authorities said, he would continue to sexually assault the 13-year-old as he drove her from Texas to California.
On July 9, as Sablan went into a laundromat in Long Beach, California, the 13-year-old stayed in the car and wrote “Help me!” on a piece of paper to try to get someone’s attention. Someone saw her with the sign and called police, authorities said, and when officers arrived, they found Sablan standing outside his car as the girl mouthed “Help” from inside, according to the complaint.
During their search, police said, they found a black BB gun, a pair of handcuffs in Sablan’s back pocket and the “Help me” sign.
Sablan was charged in connection with the alleged kidnapping of the girl, and is set to be arraigned on July 31.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.