A wannabe Bay Area mom influencer who sparked a panic among QAnon believers with a trumped-up story about the attempted kidnapping of her children has been found guilty of lying to law enforcement.
, 31, went viral in 2020 when she posted a series of videos to her Instagram account. She claimed that on Dec. 7, 2020, she took her two small children to the Michaels craft store in Petaluma. While in the store, she alleged, a man and woman began to follow her, “talking about the features of my children.”
Sorensen said the couple didn’t buy anything but followed her out to the parking lot. She accused them of taking “two steps forward, two steps back” before lunging for her stroller. Sorensen said she called for help, talked to the police and then decided to share her story on social media to warn other parents.
“My children were the target of attempted kidnap,” Sorensen says, sitting in her car. “Which is such a weird thing to even vocalize, but it happened, and I want to share that story with you.” The videos accrued more than 4 million views before Sorensen made her account private. Soon, investigators said, it was clear Sorensen’s account wasn’t meshing with the evidence. Security footage from the Michaels did not corroborate her story, and Petaluma police said her retellings had “inconsistencies.” They soon cleared the couple, Sadie and Eddie Martinez, of any wrongdoing. Sorensen, meanwhile, took to local TV to repeat her story.. “I felt uncomfortable around them.
Last week, a jury found Sorensen guilty of making a false report of a crime to a detective. Prosecutors say she faces up to six months in prison for the misdemeanor. She was taken into custody after the verdict and held on $100,000 bail, which she appears to have posted because Sonoma County Jail records no longer show her in custody., Sorensen is believed to have moved out of state after the incident.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘Roller coaster ride’: Bay Area cities hit 90-degree temperaturesMultiple Bay Area cities hit 90-degree temperatures after a brief heat wave swept over the region Thursday.
Read more »
20-year-old SF French bistro to open a second Bay Area restaurantThe cozy French bistro in Forest Hill is expanding its Bay Area footprint.
Read more »
Benihana and Chick-fil-A head to Bay Area shopping centerBridgepointe Shopping Center in San Mateo is gaining new tenants that include Chick-fil-A, Benihaha and Nordstrom Rack.
Read more »
Five more Bay Area MS-13 members sentenced in massive RICO caseEach of the five men received either 17 or 25 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to violence crimes that benefited a subset of the MS-13 gang.
Read more »
Shuttered Bay Area Bed Bath & Beyond stores may be tricky to refillBed Bath & Beyond has decided to shut numerous Bay Area stores, posing the specter of fresh rounds of retail vacancies and empty storefronts.
Read more »
Bay Area preschool teacher suspected of dumping body along highwayShe was reportedly taken into custody while the children were napping.
Read more »