DUNKIRK – A jury in Chautauqua County Court has found a Dunkirk man guilty of second-degree kidnapping and a sexually-motivated felony in relation to an incident that took place in August 2016 at the Dunkirk Walmart.
The Post-Journal says Samuel Saeli, who had pleaded innocent of the charges, was found guilty on both counts in day number four of his retrial.
Saeli was arrested on Aug. 14, 2016 for abducting a 13-year-old autistic boy from the Dunkirk Walmart parking lot. The boy was located about 40 minutes later near Cushing Street in Fredonia.
Saeli was initially charged with second-degree kidnapping, a class B felony, after video footage showed him leaving Walmart with the boy.
The District Attorney’s Office later added the sexually-motivated felony charge following the addition of new DNA evidence.
Saeli will be sentenced Aug. 9 at 10 a.m. Additional federal charges could also be forthcoming.
Leave a Reply