Woman charged in attempted kidnapping of Joe Montana’s grandchild
Sodsai Dalzell appears in court for an arraignment Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, in the Van Nuys section of Los Angeles. Dalzell is charged with attempted kidnapping of Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana's granddaughter.[AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, Pool]
A 39-year-old woman was charged Tuesday in what authorities say was an attempted kidnapping of the 9-month-old granddaughter of Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana from his Southern California home.
Sodsai Predpring Dalzell was charged with felony counts of attempted kidnapping and burglary, according to a complaint filed by Los Angeles County prosecutors.
She appeared in court Tuesday, but it is not clear whether she entered a plea. An email to her attorney seeking comment was not immediately returned.
The 64-year-old Montana told sheriff’s deputies that the girl was asleep Saturday in a playpen in his house in Malibu when a woman he did not know entered and picked up the child.
Joe Montana, wife block attempted kidnapping of grandchild
Montana and his wife, Jennifer, confronted her, tried to de-escalate the situation and asked her to give back the baby, authorities said.
After a brief struggle, Jennifer Montana pried the girl away, and Dalzell fled from the home, authorities said. She was later arrested nearby.
No one was hurt.
“Scary situation, but thankful that everybody is doing well," the former San Francisco 49ers star tweeted on Sunday.
Montana played 13 years of his 15 year-career with the 49ers, who won four Super Bowls with him as starting quarterback. He retired in 1994 after two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.
He and Jennifer Montana, a philanthropist and former model, have been married since 1985 and have four adult children. It is not clear which of the children is the girl’s parent.