LOS ANGELES, California — A 63-year-old Texas man has been sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl at gunpoint, according to the United States Attorney’s Office. Steven Robert Sablan, of Cleburne, Texas, was sentenced by United States District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha.
Sablan pleaded guilty in January 2024 to one count of kidnapping and has been in federal custody since July 2023. He was ordered to pay $1,158 in restitution. “The 35-year sentence imposed ensures this defendant will not have the opportunity to victimize children,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally. “There is nothing as important as protecting our young people.”
On July 6, 2023, Sablan abducted the victim in San Antonio, Texas, and transported her to Long Beach, California, in his gray Nissan Sentra. During the journey, he threatened her with a firearm and sexually assaulted her multiple times. The victim was rescued on July 9, 2023, after a Good Samaritan called 911 upon seeing her holding a “Help Me” sign in the car window…