Riverside man and daughter plead for kidnapping of woman found dumped in Antelope Valley – Press Enterprise

LANCASTER — A Riverside man and his daughter pleaded guilty Wednesday to kidnapping a woman who was dumped in the desert near Edwards Air Force Base in 2019.

According to Ricardo Santiago of the Los Angeles County Attorney’s Office, 57-year-old Stanley Alfred Lawton is expected to serve 25 years to life in state prison in connection with his undeniable plea of ​​aggravated kidnapping with intent to commit robbery. According to Santiago, Lawton admitted to previous strikes over robbery and attempted murder.

Lawton’s daughter, Shaniya Nicole Poche-Lawton, 24, of Palmdale, pleaded no contest to the kidnapping and personally admitted to using a firearm and faces 15 years in prison, Santiago said.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s officials said the woman was abducted from the North Las Vegas area on Nov. 1, 2019 and found five days later by military police doing their routine rounds outside of the air force base.

The woman – who knew the two defendants – was kidnapped at gunpoint, driven to Antelope Valley and then left in the desert to seek help, prosecutors said shortly after the case was filed.

“At one point, she was sexually assaulted and pronounced dead,” Sheriff-Capt said. Eduardo Hernandez shortly after the two were arrested in early November 2019.

The father and daughter were initially charged with a range of charges including attempted murder, violent rape and robbery, but the rape allegations against Shaniya Poche-Lawton were dismissed in January 2021, according to court documents. The remaining charges against her are expected to be dismissed based on her objections.

The two have remained behind bars since being taken into custody by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, prison records show.

They are expected in a Lancaster courtroom for sentencing on March 30.