Social media influencer convicted of false kidnapping report

‘Mom influencer’ who said Latino couple tried to kidnap her kids convicted of false report

Katie Sorensen stands next to her attorney in Sonoma County Superior Court.

May 1, 2023 1:24 PM PT

A California “mom influencer” who claimed on Instagram in 2020 that a Latino couple tried to kidnap her two children has been convicted of one count of making a false police report, according to the Sonoma County district attorney’s office.

Katie Sorensen, 31, was convicted Thursday and she could face a sentence of up to six months in jail, the district attorney’s office said in a news release.

“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,” Dist. Atty. Carla Rodriguez said in a statement. “This case is also important in that it illustrates the importance of using social media responsibly.”

Sorensen was acquitted of two other counts of making a false report of a crime. In an emailed statement, Sorensen’s attorney, Charles Dresow, said Sorensen was glad to be acquitted of two of the charges.

“The evidence introduced at trial was very different than how the case has been portrayed outside of the courtroom,” Dresow said.

Sorensen called the Petaluma Police Department on Dec. 7, 2020, and claimed that a couple tried to kidnap her children in the parking lot at a Michaels craft store in Petaluma, Calif., prosecutors said. About a week later, Sorensen posted a video on Instagram, adding significant details about the alleged near abduction that had not been disclosed to police, according to prosecutors.

Sorensen’s social media post about the alleged encounter went viral, with people across the country airing support for the then-Sonoma mother, who said she posted the video to “raise awareness.”

“My children were the targets of attempted kidnap,” Sorensen said in her original video, which has since been deleted. “It happened.”

She accused the couple of lingering by her car near the children’s double stroller, and that she had been “paralyzed” by fear during the incident.

In interviews with news stations and other outlets, Sorensen would double down, claiming she had been followed by a Latino couple into the store who allegedly made comments about her children.

Police would go on to follow up with Sorensen, who in subsequent interviews identified the alleged couple. Police released images of the couple from surveillance video, but the couple, recognizing themselves in news accounts, came forward and denied the allegations.

The couple, Sadie and Eddie Martinez, said they had been shopping for Christmas decorations, and accused Sorensen of racially profiling them.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Sadie Martinez said during a press conference at the time, according to the Press Democrat. “It’s like we’re literally guilty of being brown while shopping.”

When testifying during the trial, Sorensen said she had “misinterpreted” the events from Dec. 7, the Press Democrat reported.

Sorensen’s report was determined to be false, prosecutors said, and “resoundingly contradicted” by the couple and surveillance video from the store.

She has since deleted all content from her Instagram account.