A 13-year-old girl just saved her own life.
According to theLong Beach Police Department, Steven Robert Sabalan, 61, forced the young girl into his car in San Antonio, Texas on July 6. He allegedly threatened her at gunpoint and took her with him across state lines — nearly 1,400 miles — to California, where she was found three days later.
“Good Samaritans were in a parking lot when they saw the victim in a parked vehicle holding up a piece of paper with ‘help me’ written on it,” aLBPD press releaseread. “They acknowledged the note and immediately called 9-1-1.”
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After kidnapping her, Sabalan allegedly asked the victim how old she was. When she mentioned having a friend in Australia, he allegedly told the victim he could take her to a cruise ship to visit the friend, but she had to do something for him first, according to theU.S. Attorney’s Office.
Officials said once they detained Sabalan they found a “replica firearm, which resembled a semi-automatic pistol,” that the suspect used to intimidate the victim. They also determined that Sabalan had sexually assaulted the girl at least three times during the drive.
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U.S. Department of Justice via AP
The press release also stated that the FBI will take on the leading role in the case. Sabalan’s arraignment is scheduled for July 31 in the U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
If convicted of both charges in the indictment, Sablan will face a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison.
source: people.com
