A 13-year-old girl kidnapped in Texas was rescued in Southern California on July 9 after passersby saw her holding a sign with the words "help me" in the window of a parked car, the Long Beach Police Department in Los Angeles said Friday.
The rescue took place around 10 a.m. on July 9 in that Southern California city when police officers responded to a distress call and found the "girl visibly distraught," according to the police news release.
"Upon investigation, officers found that the good Samaritans were in a parking lot when they saw the victim inside a car holding a piece of paper with the word 'Help Me!'" the police statement added, "and immediately called 911."
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Steven Robert Sabalan, 61, of Cleburne, Texas, was located and arrested for his alleged involvement in the incident.
Police say the girl was near a bus stop in San Antonio, Texas, on July 6 when the suspect approached in a car, pointed a gun at her and forced her in.
Police determined the girl had been sexually assaulted en route to California. He also reported that he had found a fake firearm in the suspect's car, he said.
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The girl is now in the custody of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. The man was jailed on suspicion of kidnapping, lewd acts with a minor and being a fugitive from justice, on $100,000 bail. This week he was indicted by a grand jury for kidnapping and transporting a minor with criminal sexual intent. He will appear in court on July 31.