New Details Emerge in Case Against Accused Kidnapper
So, like, there’s this dude, Matthew Naval, right? And he’s in some deep trouble for allegedly kidnapping a 10-year-old girl he met on Roblox. Like, seriously, what is going on in the world today?
Naval got busted on April 13 at an Elk Grove strip mall, over 250 miles away from the girl’s home in Kern County. And get this – he had the girl and her pet bird with him! He’s facing some serious charges for kidnapping and lewd acts with a minor, but he’s out here pleading not guilty, claiming the girl told him she was 18. Uh, yeah, right.
According to reports, Naval said he thought the girl looked maybe 17 in person. But then he goes on to say that he didn’t want to know her real age because, like, ignorance is bliss or something. His lawyer is saying he has mental health issues and might be on the autism spectrum, so there’s that. But come on, man, that’s no excuse for what he did.
The girl had posted a TikTok video the day before she went missing, joking about getting kidnapped. Like, what?! She even told her friends she was planning to pay someone to kidnap her. And then she goes and hangs out with Naval at a park, not realizing they were driving away from her home until three hours later. Girl, what were you thinking?
Naval claims he didn’t know what the girl looked like until he picked her up, which sounds fishy, to be honest. He admitted to some online shenanigans with her, but swears they didn’t do anything in person. Yeah, right, buddy. He even tried to get a motel room for them in Fresno, but got shut down because he didn’t have the right ID. Smooth move, dude.
The girl’s family used a phone tracking app to locate her near Naval’s place, where he was arrested by the cops. Now he’s sitting in a Bakersfield jail, with a hefty bail of $1.35 million. He’s facing a bunch of charges, including kidnapping and lewd acts with a child. Not looking good for him, that’s for sure.
Roblox is getting some heat too for how it can be used by creeps to prey on kids. The company says they take safety seriously, but come on, they gotta do better. Kids are out here playing games, not looking to get kidnapped.
Naval is scheduled for a court appearance in June, where he’ll have to face the music for his actions. Let’s hope justice is served and this poor girl can move on from this nightmare.
