Two Plead Guilty To Kidnapping Charges, Face Long Prison Sentences

Two people have been sentenced after pleading guilty to kidnapping a woman and leaving her nearly naked in the snow east of Eskimo Hill last November. The victim was familiar with her captors, who accused her of stealing drugs. The 25-year-old woman was forced into a van in the area of Mistletoe Lane and Victor Avenue by 34-year-old Johanna Knighton and 46-year-old Fred Sanderson. The victim was physically assaulted by Sanderson while Knighton drove the van east on Highway 44. They turned off the highway onto a seldom-used road in the Hat Creek area and drove about 6 miles into the forest. That’s where the victim was forced to remove her clothing and was left to fend for herself in winter weather with only a pair of shorts to wear. She had no idea where she was and had no way of getting help. As rain and snow fell and temperatures dropped with nightfall, the woman took shelter inside a burned out tree and tried to cover herself with wood chips. She was saved the next day suffering from exposure and frostbite when a group of people showed up in the area looking for a Christmas tree. Thursday Sanderson and Knighton both pleaded guilty to attempted murder, kidnapping, robbery and other charges. Sanderson will get a 25 year prison term, while Knighton will serve 14 years and 8 months.

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