A mom influencer from Californiawho went viral in 2020 after posting a video on social mediaclaiming a Latino couple tried to abduct her kidshas been convicted of making a false report of a crime, authorities announced this week.
Kathleen Sorensen, 31, formerly of Sonoma, was taken into custody after the jury returned a guilty verdict, according to an April 27press releasefrom the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office. A sentencing date has not been set. In the meantime, her bail was set at $100,000.
On Dec. 7, 2020, Sorensen told police a Petaluma couple attempted to kidnap her two young children at a Michael’s craft store, the release states.
About a week later, Sorensen outlined the allegations in two Instagram videos that were viewed over 4 million times. Those posts and her Instagram account, @motherhoodessentials, have since been deleted.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
The couple identified themselves later that month in a press conference as Sadie and Eddie Martinez. “It’s like we’re literally guilty of being Brown while shopping,” said Sadie Martinez, who was at Michael’s with her husband shopping for Christmas decorations, according toThe Argus-Courier.
Sorenson’s attorney, Charles Dresow, toldThe Press Democrat, “The verdict of not guilty as to counts one and two rejects the theory that my client lied to the police on Dec. 7.”
“The jury reviewed the actual evidence and found it to be very different than how the case has been portrayed outside the courtroom. We are disappointed as to count three and will evaluate our options moving forward.”
Sorensen faces a maximum sentence of 6 months in jail, according to the prosecutor’s office.
source: people.com
