Social Media Influencer Mom Faces Charges for Accusing Couple of Attempted Kidnapping

A California mother at the center of a kidnapping allegation was recently charged with giving false information to law enforcement, according to Sonoma County prosecutors.

“Katie Sorensen, of Sonoma, faces two misdemeanor charges four months after she accused a Latino couple from Petaluma of attempting to kidnap her two children Dec. 7 at the local craft store,” the Petaluma Argus-Courier reported Thursday.

Sorensen eventually documented the allegations in two Instagram clips which drew more than 4.5 million views.

In December, KTVU reporter Henry K. Lee shared part of one of Sorensen’s videos.

“Monday of this week, my children were the targets of attempted kidnap,” she claimed in the clip:

In an update post on December 17, Lee said police had interviewed the accused couple.

“They denied the allegations, and ‘evidence gathered has served to support the account provided by the couple from the store,’ cops say, closing the case,” he wrote:

The couple in the middle of the controversy, Sadie and Eddie Martinez, are longtime residents who have five children. Once she learned of the charges, Sadie said they were pleased with the news, adding, “It’s a nice step toward justice. It gives you hope.”

The Argus-Courier report continued:

In the days following the high-profile accusations, Petaluma police announced Sorensen’s claims were without merit and cleared the couple of any wrongdoing. But the episode left the Petaluma family reeling after their innocuous trip to buy a decorative baby Jesus launched them into the public eye.

The Martinez family learned of their part in the viral story after police shared security camera stills of them.

“Sonoma County Chief Deputy District Attorney Brian Staebell said the charges – giving false information to a police officer and giving false information to a police dispatcher each come with a maximum penalty of six months in jail,” the Argus-Courier article stated.

According to Staebell, Sorensen has been notified of the charges and her arraignment is set for May 13.