California: A social media influencer, Katie Sorensen (30), has been handed a 90-day jail sentence for making a false crime report about kidnapping her children.
Sorensen is a 'mom influencer'. She falsely accused a Latino couple of attempting to kidnap her two young children outside a craft store in Petaluma, California. The Sonoma County District Attorney's Office confirmed that Sorensen was convicted "on a single count of knowingly making a false report of a crime."
According to a report by The New York Times, District Attorney Carla Rodriguez stated that 60 of the 90 days could be served through a work-release program.
Sorensen also received 12 months of informal probation. As part of this probation, she is required to refrain from having any social media presence, consent to warrantless search and seizure of her electronic devices, and complete a four-hour implicit bias training program. She will also have to pay various fines and fees. The media outlet mentioned that Sorensen faced a maximum jail term of six months.
District Attorney Rodriguez expressed her views on the sentencing and said, "Ms. Sorensen has been held accountable for her crime, and we believe the Judge handed down a fair sentence. We hope that this measure of accountability will help provide some closure to the couple that was falsely accused of having attempted to kidnap two young children." Sorensen faced three misdemeanor counts of making a false report of a crime.
The incident occurred on December 7, 2020, when Sorensen visited a Michaels craft store in Petaluma with her 4-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter. Shortly after leaving the store, she called the Petaluma Police Department to report an alleged attempted kidnapping of her children by a couple.
A week later, Sorensen posted a now-deleted video on Instagram, providing additional details about the incident that had not been disclosed to the police. She claimed to have been followed and targeted by a couple who made comments about her children and tried to kidnap them. The video garnered over four million views, and Sorensen even appeared on a local news program to share her story.
Police initiated an investigation and contacted Sorensen, who identified a couple at the store as the alleged kidnappers.
Sadie Vega-Martinez and her husband, Eddie Martinez, the couple accused by Sorensen, fully cooperated with the investigation and denied the allegations. The Petaluma Police Department confirmed their cooperation at the time.