Roberto Herrera, 40, has pled guilty in Lexington County to Kidnapping. He has been sentenced to 15 years in the S.C. Department of Corrections. Under South Carolina law, Kidnapping is classified as a violent crime and a “no parole” offense.

11th Circuit Senior Assistant Solicitor Angela G. Martin handled the prosecution of this case for the office. 

On July 24, 2019, around midday, Herrera stole a Toyota pickup truck that was left running in the parking lot of a business located at the corner of Highway 6 and Mimosa Drive in the Gaston area of Lexington County. The truck owner briefly went inside to make a purchase while her three (3) year old daughter was asleep in the vehicle. As she exited the store, she discovered the truck had been stolen with her child inside and immediately notified law enforcement. The Lexington County Sheriff's Department (LCSD) issued an emergency Amber Alert and contacted SLED and the FBI to have all available units set up a perimeter that closed down roadways for a brief period of time. 

At the sentencing hearing, Senior Assistant Solicitor Martin detailed the events which led to Herrera’s capture. Martin explained that after Herrera discovered the child in the stolen vehicle, he approached two men who were in a church van in the San Jose parking lot and asked them to take the child, which they refused. 

Herrera then continued driving down Highway 6 in the stolen vehicle with the toddler inside. Deputies searched surrounding neighborhoods and spotted the vehicle approximately thirty minutes after the child was reported missing. Herrera was taken into custody about 10 miles away from the original incident location. Herrera was not compliant and a bystander assisted the deputy in restraining Herrera until other units arrived. Thankfully, the child was unharmed and reunited with her mother. 

Herrera has been transported to the S.C. Department of Corrections to begin immediate service of his sentence.