Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping and Sexual Assault of 13-Year-Old

Victim Rescued After Displaying 'Help Me' Sign, Sentencing Scheduled for October

Steven Robert Sablan, 62, of Cleburne, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping a 13-year-old girl at gunpoint in San Antonio and transporting her to California.
Sablan admitted to sexually assaulting the victim multiple times during the journey from Texas to California.
The victim was rescued after she displayed a 'Help Me' sign from Sablan's parked car at a laundromat in Long Beach, California, prompting a passerby to call 911.
Sablan, who had no legal custody or familial relationship with the victim, has been in federal custody since July 2023.
Sablan faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 25.