On Wednesday, September 7th, there was an attempted kidnapping in Santa Clarita. A mother and a child were standing on the sidewalk on Via Canon in Newhall when a scary situation erupted. According to police, 44-year-old homeless woman Alicia Sanchez approached the mother and child on the sidewalk and began screaming at the mother. Apparently, Sanchez shouted that the boy wasn’t the son of the woman he was with, and while doing so, attempted to grab the child.

The mother was able to wrest her child from Sanchez’s grasp, after which the would-be kidnapper wandered off to a nearby wash. She was arrested there shortly thereafter by deputies from the Santa Clarita Sheriff Station. Police have since made no mention of Sanchez’s possible motive or whether or not she was mentally sound.

California has several kidnapping laws on the books, including Penal Codes  207, 208, 209 and 209.5. Kidnapping is described as moving a person a substantial distance without their consent and by using force or fear to do so. Kidnapping is a serious crime in California, and it’s prosecuted as a felony. The penalties for the crime will vary depending on the circumstances surrounding it. For example, simple kidnapping penalties include 3, 5 or 8 years in California state prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.

Aggravated kidnapping is even worse. For simple kidnapping to be upgraded to aggravated kidnapping, the victim must be either under 14-years of age at the time of the kidnapping, or if the crime includes:

  • a ransom
  • a reward
  • kidnapping to commit extortion
  • robbery
  • many California sex crimes
  • carjacking
  • great bodily harm or death of the victim
  • the victim being placed in a dangerous situation

If one or more of the above criteria are applied to the crime, a possible sentence of life with the possibility of parole is added. For aggravated kidnapping charges that do not include one of the above criteria, possible penalties include 5, 8 or 11 years in California state prison.

Given what Sanchez was shouting at the time the alleged crime occurred, it’s very possible she didn’t know what she was doing. In cases where the suspect is not mentally sound, they can be sent to a mental hospital instead of prison.

Robin Sandoval

Robin Sandoval

Robin Sandoval is a California Licensed Bail Bondsman and owner of SCV Bail Bonds. Robin writes blogs and articles to help increase community awareness of the bail industry. If you have questions or want to suggest a topic, email robin@scvbailbonds.com, visit www.scvbailbonds.com or call 661-299-2245.
Robin Sandoval
Robin Sandoval
Robin Sandoval

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