Woman sentenced to one year in jail for stealing child

VICTORVILLE • A Los Angeles woman who was arrested two months ago for kidnapping a 7-year-old Victorville girl and holding her for ransom was sentenced Friday to a year in jail.

Monica Stephens, 35, pleaded guilty in July to stealing a child. She’s eligible for half-time credit, which means she could get out as early as 180 days. Her co-defendant, Debra Ann Brown, 52, of Rialto, was sentenced to one year and four months in prison in July after pleading guilty to violation of a custody decree.

Prosecutors had initially charged both women with kidnapping for ransom.

Stephens and Brown are related to the victim’s deceased father, but hadn’t seen the child in years, according to officials with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. They went to the victim’s house in the 12300 block of Freeport Drive in July and took the child when her legal guardian wasn’t home, officials said.

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Tomoya Shimura may be reached at tshimura@VVDailyPress.com or (760) 955-5368.