Katie Sorensen, a well-known figure in the online parenting community, has been sentenced to 90 days in jail for fabricating a story about a kidnapping attempt on her children. The incident took place in December 2020 when Sorensen posted on social media, claiming that a Latino couple had followed her into a Michaels craft store and tried to snatch her kids. However, investigations revealed that her report was false, and the accused couple was innocent.
Judge Laura Passaglia ordered Sorensen to serve 90 days in jail, with the possibility of 60 days being served through a work-release program. The decision was made to hold Sorensen accountable for her actions and provide closure to the couple who were wrongly accused. Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez expressed satisfaction with the sentence, hoping that it would bring justice to the falsely accused couple.
In the viral social media video, Sorensen detailed her alleged encounter with the couple, claiming they had followed her throughout the store and made inappropriate comments about her children. She further stated that they followed her to her car and lingered near her stroller before driving off when she called for help. However, the accused couple vehemently denied these allegations, stating that they were at Michaels to buy Christmas decorations and believed Sorensen’s false claims were racially motivated.
In addition to the jail sentence, Sorensen has been placed on informal probation for a year. As part of her probation, she is prohibited from having a social media presence, must complete a four-hour implicit bias training, and is subject to warrantless search and seizure. These additional measures aim to address the seriousness of her false report and prevent similar incidents in the future.