Court Finds TikTok Influencer Guilty After Accusing Latino Couple of Attempted Kidnapping
A court found TikTok mom influencer Katie Sorensen guilty after she falsely accused a Latino couple of trying to kidnap her baby in 2020. The popular content creator posted a video about two people following her and her baby around a Michaels and said they were trying to kidnap her child.
Before long, the video had more than 4 million views. In it, Sorensen referred to the couple as “not clean-cut individuals” and said she heard one of them discussing a potential kidnapping on his phone.
TikTok influencer accuses a Latino couple of attempted kidnapping
The TikTok influencer’s video was a detailed breakdown of events that started with her in the parking lot, all the way into a Michaels craft store. Sorensen said the couple appeared to be lurking nearby at all times. Sorensen also said they gave her the “heebie-jeebies.”
Later in the video, she said the couple commented on her baby’s blonde hair and blue eyes. Then she claimed the man made a phone call where he said something about the boy being easier to take. Sorensen begins tearing up at this point in the video.
Soon after Sorensen posted the video, local media stations found the couple she accused, identifying them as Sadie and Eddie Martinez. Following an investigation into the couple, authorities concluded Sorensen’s video and accusations were not truthful.
The couple was just shopping and minding their business
The couple confirmed they were at Michaels buying Christmas decorations. They said Sorensen’s accusations were most likely a result of their ethnicity, in an interview with the Petaluma Argus-Courier.
The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office said that Sorensen’s report was false as proven by the couple, “as well as store video that was obtained,” in a statement following the verdict.
District Attorney Carla Rodriguez said, “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.”
Although the jury only found her guilty on one of the three charges of falsely reporting a crime, Sorensen faces up to six months behind bars and is currently awaiting sentencing on a $100,000 bail.
