Woman says she’s unsure why she tried to kidnap Joe Montana’s granddaughter
Sodsai Predpring Dalzell faces eight years in prison after California arrest
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The woman who attempted to kidnap NFL legend Joe Montana’s sleeping granddaughter from his home has no idea why she did it, her lawyer claimed.
Sodsai Predpring Dalzell has been charged with grabbing the nine-month-old baby from a playpen and faces eight years in prison if convicted.
Dalzell appeared in court in Los Angeles and pleaded not guilty to felony counts of attempted kidnapping of a child under 14 and burglary.
Authorities say Dalzell, 39, broke into Mr Montana’s luxurious home in Malibu, California, last weekend.
Mr Montana, 64, and his wife, Jennifer, confronted Dalzell and tried to calm the situation by asking her to hand back the baby.
Police say that after a short struggle Mrs Montana managed to grab the child back and Dalzell fled from the scene.
No one was hurt in the incident and Dalzell, who has no prior criminal record, was later arrested.
“Miss Dalzell is extremely apologetic and is very well concerned about the well-being of the family,” Dalzell's lawyer Ayinde Jones said after the hearing.
“She understands the harm that this has caused the family, friends and also fans of the Montana family. So our heart goes out to them.”
Mr Jones said that his clients’ defense will be, “focused on ensuring that Miss Dalzell gets the help that she may need.”
And he added that he had “no hindsight, no clue as yet on why she did what she did, only that she is very apologetic.
“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.”
Dalzell’s bail was set at $200,000 and she will appear in court again on 20 October.
Mr Montana became a household name as he won four Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers and he retired after a 15 year career in 1994.
Mr Montana and his wife have four daughters, but it us unclear which of them is the mother of the baby that was grabbed.
“Thank you to everyone who reached out. Scary situation, but thankful that everybody is doing well,” Mr Montana Tweeted the day after the incident.
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