A woman from Long Beach is being recognized as a hero after helping a young girl who had been kidnapped and forcefully transported from Texas to California.
Touch Vong, who works in a local laundromat, believes a divine intervention led the 13-year-old victim and her alleged kidnapper, 61-year-old Steven Robert Sablan, to walk into her workplace on July 9. Despite knowing a nearby restaurant was closed, Vong advised Sablan to wait for it to open, a lie that ultimately bought crucial time for the girl’s rescue.
While Sablan and the young victim were in the laundromat, the girl, described as looking visibly frightened, scribbled a “Help me!” note and stuck it to the car window. Another woman passing by noticed the note and alerted the police.
Upon their arrival, the officers arrested Sablan and found a BB-gun, a pair of handcuffs, and the girl’s note in his vehicle. An investigation revealed that Sablan had abducted the girl at gunpoint in San Antonio, Texas, on July 6. Court documents allege that Sablan promised to take the girl, reportedly a runaway, to visit a friend in Australia. Instead, he sexually assaulted her multiple times during the journey from Texas to California.
Sablan now faces charges of kidnapping and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. If found guilty of both charges, he could receive a life sentence in federal prison. The investigation is currently being handled by the FBI in collaboration with law enforcement agencies from Long Beach and Cleburne, Texas.