Influencer case: Katie Sorensen’s sentencing pushed back 2 weeks

Katie Sorensen was convicted in April of one misdemeanor count of filing a false police report. She faces up to six months in jail.|
COLIN ATAGI
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Sentencing was pushed back two weeks for a former Sonoma County woman convicted in April of filing a false police report after her claim of a kidnapping attempt went viral in December 2020.

Katie Sorensen is scheduled to return to Sonoma County Superior Court in Santa Rosa on June 29, when she could be sentenced to up to six months in jail.

She was supposed to be sentenced Wednesday but her hearing was delayed at the request of her lawyer, Charles Dresow, court records show.

Court documents didn’t explain why Dresow asked for the delay and he did not return a Press Democrat request for comment.

Sorensen told Petaluma police a couple tried to kidnap her children on Dec. 7, 2020, at the Michaels store on North McDowell Boulevard. She detailed the incident in an Instagram video that went viral.

Investigators determined that Sorensen’s claims never occurred.

According to court testimony, authorities suspected she made up the claims because she wanted the attention they would attract to bolster her efforts to be a social media influencer.

She was ultimately charged with three counts of filing a false police report.

A Sonoma County jury acquitted her of two of the counts on April 26.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.
Send a letter to the editor