‘Help me.’ Kidnapped girl was sexually assaulted then someone saw her sign, CA cops say

A 13-year-old girl was near a Texas bus stop when a man approached her and demanded she get into his vehicle at gunpoint, authorities said.

She was sexually assaulted as the man took her from San Antonio to Long Beach, California, according to a July 20 news release from the Long Beach Police Department.

Three days after the teen was kidnapped, on July 9, she was seen in a vehicle parked in a Long Beach parking lot, authorities said. She was holding a piece of paper with the words “help me” on it.

Good Samaritans immediately called 911, according to the release.

Officers responded to the area at about 10:20 a.m. that Sunday and detained 61-year-old Steven Robert Sabalan, of Cleburne, Texas, authorities said. Cleburne is about 50 miles southwest of downtown Dallas.

“Detectives and the Sexual Assault Response Team responded immediately and started investigating the incident,” according to the release. “Through their investigation, detectives gathered sufficient information that the victim had been sexually assaulted while the suspect transported her across state lines from San Antonio to Long Beach. Detectives also recovered a replica firearm, which resembled a semi-automatic pistol, inside the suspect vehicle.”

Sabalan was booked into Long Beach City Jail on charges of kidnapping, lewd and lascivious acts with a child, and fugitive from justice.

The Department of Children and Family Services took custody of the teenager, authorities said.

An investigation, led by the FBI, is ongoing.

This story was originally published July 21, 2023 at 7:29 AM with the headline "‘Help me.’ Kidnapped girl was sexually assaulted then someone saw her sign, CA cops say."