Overview
- Brandon Holguin, 26, which pleaded not guilty Wednesday, remains held on $650,000 bail with a June 3 pretrial hearing set in Pasadena.
- He faces six felony counts that include child stealing, human trafficking, child abuse, furnishing a minor a controlled substance, employing a minor during unauthorized hours, and false personation.
- Prosecutors say he first met the boy months earlier at a thrift store, then in early May 2025 took the teen’s phone, sold it, and used a fake ID to pawn family-gifted jewelry for hundreds of dollars.
- The teen was allegedly forced in a motel to sort and photograph hundreds of used clothing items for online sale, was told to take Adderall that made him sick, and was then left on a Los Angeles freeway before being found and reunited with his family on May 5, 2025.
- Authorities say the investigation continues, have asked anyone with information to contact sheriff’s detectives, and noted they charged child stealing rather than kidnapping based on how the alleged abduction fits state law.