'Mom-fluencer' found guilty after falsely accusing couple of attempted kidnapping
It was a kidnapping that never happened.
Kathleen Sorensen, a mother of two and social media influencer, was found guilty last week of knowingly filing a false police report in which she falsely accused a California couple of attempting to kidnap her children in a store.
"This verdict will enable us to hold Ms. Sorensen accountable for her crime, while at the same time helping to exonerate the couple that was falsely accused of having attempted to kidnap two young children," Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez said in a press release, adding that the case also "illustrates the importance of using social media responsibly."
The 31-year-old influencer filed a report with the Petaluma Police Department in December 2020 that falsely stated that a couple tried to kidnap her children in the parking lot.
Sorensen also published a video of herself recounting the incident on her Instagram page, where she detailed the alleged kidnapping attempt. Later, she repeated the account to a local news program.
"Monday of this week, my children were the targets of attempted kidnap," Sorenson said in the video. "I want to share that story with you in an effort to raise awareness as to what signs to look for and to just encourage parents to be more aware of their surroundings."
The video Sorensen posted on social media went viral and has since been viewed more than 4 million times. The couple, Sadie and Eddie Martinez, came forward to publicly deny Sorenson's account.
Prosecutors said they determined that Sorensen lied about the kidnapping attempt after speaking with the Martinez couple and looking at store security footage. Sorensen eventually acknowledged there was no kidnapping attempt, but her attorney argued that she did not intentionally lie to the police.
"My client testified under oath at trial and maintains that there was no kidnapping on Dec. 7," Sorensen's attorney, Charles Dresow, told "Good Morning America." "She misperceived and misunderstood a series of random events which were occurring around her and made an honest report to the police on Dec. 7."
Sorensen faces a maximum sentence of six months in jail. Her sentencing date has yet to be set. Sorensen is no longer active on social media, her lawyer told "Good Morning America."
"I don't think she had any understanding of how this would spread and the impact it would cause," Dresow said.
