Father and Daughter Charged with Kidnapping, Sexual Assault of Las Vegas Woman

A tattoo artist and his daughter have been charged with kidnapping a 46-year-old woman in Las Vegas and sexually assaulting her in Palmdale, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.  Stanley Alfred Lawton (dob 12/5/64) of Riverside and Shaniya Nicole Poche-Lawton (dob 7/9/97) of Palmdale both face one count each of kidnapping to commit robbery, attempted murder, kidnapping from outside the state and forcible rape as well as three counts of first-degree ATM robbery. The felony complaint filed on Nov. 14 includes allegations of using a firearm and that Stanley Lawton has prior convictions for attempted murder and robbery between 1984 and 1988. Case MA077592 is assigned to Deputy District Attorneys Diane Hong and Alexander Lara. Arraignment for both defendants were scheduled in Department A01 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Antelope Valley Branch. The victim, who knew the defendants, was allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint in Las Vegas and driven to the Antelope Valley where she was sexually assaulted and forced to withdraw money from several ATMs, the prosecutors said. The defendants reportedly then dumped her in the desert, where she was able to seek help, the prosecutors added. Bail for Stanley Lawton is set at $4.5 million and $3.5 million for Shaniya Poche-Lawton. If convicted as charged, Stanley Lawton faces a possible maximum sentence of 260 years to life in state prison and Shaniya Poche-Lawton faces more than 71 years to life in prison. The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.