It's been a really tumultuous week for the Montana family. It was revealed earlier this week that football legend Joe Montana's grandchild was nearly kidnapped. Now, the woman being charged in the attempted kidnapping had pleaded not guilty. According to the woman's attorney, she is also "extremely apologetic" about the attempted kidnapping.
The 39-year-old woman is Sodsai Dalzell. Her attorney, Ayinde Jones, talked to the media after her appearance in a Los Angeles court. He said she has "no hindsight, no clue as yet on why she did what she did, only that she is very apologetic," the Associated Press reported.
He went on to say, "She has told me over and over again that she understands the harm that she has caused. As a parent myself, I can only imagine the pain that it has caused the Montana family." It's definitely an incredibly scary incident but luckily, the woman didn't get away.
Earlier this week, we heard about what could've been a tragic occurrence. A woman allegedly attempted to kidnap Joe's 9-month-old grandchild from their home. It sounds like it was an extremely close call, but luckily, she didn't get away.
According to a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Joe and his wife, Jennifer, were at their home in Malibu on Sunday when the attempted kidnap took place. The woman reportedly entered their home around 5 p.m. That's when she tried to grab the child.
Sodsai allegedly took the 9-month-old child out of his playpen and held the child in her arms. But she was discovered by Joe and Jennifer. They confronted her, but they had to "de-escalate the situation" first, the sheriff's department statement said.
It definitely doesn't sound like the suspect willingly handed the baby back. "A tussle ensued and Mrs. Montana was able to safely pry the child out of the suspect's arms." Some reports say Joe tackled her to the ground. After that, she fled the Montanas' home.
Joe was able to quickly flag down deputies who were on patrol in the area. Sodsai was then quickly found and arrested. She was charged with felony counts of attempted kidnapping of a child under 14 and burglary. It's great that she was caught so quickly, but the situation had to be incredibly jarring for the family.
Joe let his followers know about what happened. He took to Twitter to share how he was feeling after the events hit the news on Sunday. "Scary situation, but thankful that everybody is doing well," he tweeted.
It seems like the suspect is not well and perhaps wasn't in her right mind at the time of the alleged attempted kidnapping. At least, that seems to be the case her attorney is making. He said he intends to mount a defense "focused on ensuring that Miss Dalzell gets the help that she may need."
It may be a successful defense, but as for now, the woman's bail was set at $200,000. She will have to await her fate for the alleged crime. She has no prior criminal record, so that could definitely weigh into the decision-making process.
The fact that she is apologetic and that she, luckily, didn't get away with the crime could also help her case, as well. Still, it's something the Montanas won't soon forget. Watching your grandchild almost be kidnapped from right under your nose, in your own home, is downright traumatizing.
We will certainly be following the case to see how it all plays out. Hopefully, for Sodsai, and the safety of everyone around her, she really will get the help she needs. That way, she won't put any other children at risk.
