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Influencer Katie Sorensen is in hot water with the law right now. On Thursday, June 29, she was sentenced to jail by the Sonoma County District Attorney for making false accusations. In December 2020, Sorensen falsely accused a Latino couple of trying to kidnap her two children. The influencer narrated her alleged experience in social media videos that went viral.
The accusations made by the 30-year-old mom influencer against a Petaluma couple were deemed false. She even provided contradictory reports to the police and media. Sadie, and her husband, Eddie Martinez, who were both affected by Sorensen's false accusation stated that the mom influencer's actions were racially motivated.
According to a statement released by the Sonoma County District Attorney, Judge Laura Passaglia ordered Sorensen to be sentenced to 90 days in jail, out of which 60 could be served on a work release program. She was convicted on a single count of knowingly making a false report of a crime. Her bail was set at $100,000, and she was immediately remanded to serve her sentence.
Sorensen was also placed on informal probation for 12 months. During this time, she was ordered to not have any social media presence, submit to warrantless search and desist, including her electronic devices, complete a four-hour implicit bias training, and pay various fees and fines.
District Attorney Carla Rodriguez said that the sentencing was fair.
“Ms. Sorensen has been held accountable for her crime and we believe the Judge handed down a fair sentence,” she said.
She added that the judgement would help the couple who was falsely accused get some closure.
“Our hope is that this measure of accountability will help provide some closure to the couple that was falsely accused of having attempted to kidnap two young children,” Rodriguez added.
Katie Sorensen described alleged kidnappers as not looking "necessarily clean cut"
The Incident occurred in December 2020, when Katie Sorensen went shopping at a local Michaels store in Petaluma, California, along with her two kids. After shopping, she got in her car in the parking lot and left the place in peace. However, a few minutes after leaving, Sorensen called the Petaluma Police Department and filed a report stating that a couple had tried kidnapping her kids.
A week later, the mom influencer posted an Instagram video on her Instagram handle, @motherhoodessentials_, which then had over 58,000 followers, where she went into detail about her kids' alleged abduction scare. According to the Sonoma County District Attorney's press release, this video contained additional details that were not revealed to the police.
Katie Sorensen identified the couple that allegedly tried to kidnap her kids in a police interview. However, a store video and the accused couple's report proved to contradict the one given by Sorensen. The mom influencer's report was eventually proven false.
In a since-deleted Instagram video, Katie Sorensen went into detail about what had allegedly happened. She alleged that her children "were the targets of attempted kidnapping." She said that she wanted to share the video with her viewers to raise awareness about "what signs to look for" and encourage parents to "be more aware of their surroundings". The video went viral, amassing over 2 million views.
She was later interviewed by KTVU, where she again detailed her alleged experience. She said that she spotted two people following her and making comments about her kids.
"I heard them talking about the features of my children but I was totally paralyzed with fear, I just couldn't bring myself to say anything," she said.
She stated that the couple in question did not buy anything and followed her into the parking lot, where she noticed a white van parked near her car. She stated that the man took "very awkward" two steps forward and back, which she described as "building the courage". She claimed that the man reached for her stroller but took off in a car after Sorensen allegedly yelled for help to a stranger.
She also claimed that a man jumped out of the white van and acted like he was attempting to help her before taking off. She described the people as not "necessarily clean-cut".
"Racism is alive and well in 2020": Sadie Martinez
Sadie Martinez, one of the people who was accused by Katie Sorensen, spoke to Inside Edition about the accusations.
"This is probably the worst thing I could ever imagine being accused of," she said.
Sadie Martinez and her husband, Eddie, were interviewed by the police, and they vehemently denied Katie's accusations. They were cleared of the false accusations.
In a rally outside the Michael's store in December 2020, Sadie spoke out against the false accusations against her and her husband.
"Racism is alive and well in 2020. This is a perfect example of it," she said.
She asked Katie Sorensen if she really thought it was "OK to go online and be racist" and spread online rumors about her family.
"It's hard enough to be a Latin family in a white community that I don't need white people coming around and telling me that I look like a criminal," Sadie added.
She sent a message to "all the Katies of this world."
"It stops here. I"m sorry. It's not going on anymore," she added.
Katie Sorensen has since deleted her viral videos and made her Instagram handle private.
