Transient woman charged with kidnapping a 12-year-old Santa Ana girl

Case # 18CF0538

TRANSIENT WOMAN CHARGED WITH KIDNAPPING 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL AS SHE WALKED TO SCHOOL IN SANTA ANA

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A transient woman was charged yesterday with kidnapping a 12-year-old girl as she walked to school in Santa Ana.

Defendant: Claudia Hernandez, 34, transient

Charged on Feb. 22, 2018, with the following felony counts:

• Kidnapping a child under 14
• Child stealing

Maximum Sentence: 11 years in state prison

Pre-trial hearing on March 2, 2018, 8:30 a.m. at Department C-55, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana

Circumstances of the Case

• On Feb. 21, 2018, at approximately 7:45 a.m., 12-year-old Jane Doe was walking to her intermediate school near Main Street and Cubbon Street in the city of Santa Ana.
• Hernandez is accused of approaching the girl, grabbing her around the torso, and retaining control of her as she led the victim several hundred feet down Main Street.
• A woman who was driving down the street witnessed Jane Doe in distress, pulled over to assist, and called 911.
• The Santa Ana Police Department responded to the scene and located the defendant nearby, where she was arrested.

Prosecutor: Deputy District Attorney Julie Butler, Central Justice Center.

Art Pedroza Editor

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

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