She Claimed a Kidnapping Attempt. Now, 'Justice'

Katie Sorensen's videos falsely accusing Latino couple of trying to abduct her kids went viral
By Josh Gardner,  Newser Staff
Posted May 2, 2021 7:15 AM CDT
Updated Apr 29, 2023 7:00 AM CDT
Mom Charged Over False Kidnap Attempt Claims
A widely shared still from Katie Sorenson's now-deleted viral video.   (Twitter)
UPDATE Apr 29, 2023 7:00 AM CDT

A California influencer who accused a Latino couple of trying to kidnap her young kids in a Michael's craft store in Petaluma in December 2020 was found guilty this week of falsely reporting a crime. Per a release cited by CBS San Francisco, Katie Sorensen, 31, was convicted Wednesday on the misdemeanor charge, with the jury deliberating for about a day before rendering their verdict. Sorensen was immediately remanded into custody, with her bail set at $100,000. Sadie Vega-Martinez, who was accused along with her husband, Eddie, says she's "happy" with the verdict. "After [Sorensen] avoided accountability for years, and then hearing she was found guilty and walked out in handcuffs ... yes, justice was served," Vega-Martinez tells Elle. A sentencing date hasn't yet been set. Sorensen faces a max of six months in jail.

May 2, 2021 7:15 AM CDT

The tables have turned on a California "influencer mom" who recounted a terrifying brush with a kidnapping in a craft store to her Instagram following last year. Per BuzzFeed News, Katie Sorensen faces misdemeanor charges of lying to police over a purported incident at a Michael's in Petaluma in which she claimed a couple followed her around the craft store while talking about her children before one of them lunged for her stroller. Videos of her recounting the attempt went viral days later, but a Petaluma PD report showed investigators were not able to corroborate Sorensen's version of events and her viral video was soon deleted.

Instead, police were able to find alleged attempted kidnappers Sadie Vega-Martinez and Eddie Martinez, who basically had no idea what they were talking about. Whereas Sorensen claimed the couple described her kids to a third party on the phone, the Latino grandparents were probably just talking about their own grandkids. The couple, who fully cooperated with police and were charged with no crime, say Sorensen racially profiled them that day last December. They told the Petaluma Argus-Courier the charges are a "step toward justice." Per the Daily Beast, each misdemeanor carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison. (More racial profiling stories.)

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