A social media ‘influencer’ mom has been sentenced to 90 days in prison, after she was caught making a false police report accusing a Latino couple of trying to kidnap her two children.
Katie Sorensen, 31, posted a video making the claims on Instagram, causing it to go viral as people rallied to support her.
In December 2020 Sorensen called the Petaluma Police Department and reported that a couple made the abduction attempt while her children were in the parking lot at a Michaels craft store in Petaluma, California.
During the now deleted clip, Sorensen said: “My children were the targets of an attempted kidnap. It happened.”
Throughout her trial, Sorensen argued that she “misinterpreted” the event, and since her conviction, she has deleted all content from her Instagram account.
While addressing the conviction District Attorney, Carla Rodriguez, said in a statement.“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.
“This case is also important in that it illustrates the importance of using social media responsibly.”
During the investigation of her accusations police released images of the couple, Sadie and Eddie Martinez, captured on surveillance video.
After recognizing themselves during news coverage of the accounts, the pair made themselves known to police and denied all allegations.
Both accused Sorensen of racially profiling them and expressed shock at the false statements.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Sadie Martinez said during a press conference at the time, according to the Press Democrat.
She added: “It’s like we’re literally guilty of being brown while shopping.”
