A California man has been sentenced to probation for sending fake ransom-related messages connected to the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today anchor Savannah Guthrie.
Derrick Callella, 42, of Hawthorne, California, was given two five-year probation terms to be served concurrently. He was also ordered to pay a $200 special assessment.
Callella had pleaded guilty more than a month earlier to two counts of harassment using a telecommunication device. At that time, it was reported that Judge John C. Hinderaker intended to sentence him to 10 years of probation and require him to complete a residential addiction treatment program before sentencing.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona said Callella admitted to sending text messages to members of Guthrie’s family.
“Callella acknowledged that he knew an earlier ransom demand had been made,” the office said in a statement. “Callella also admitted that his actions were meant to harass the family by seeking information about the investigation into the missing person’s disappearance.”
Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped from her home in Tucson, Arizona, in February. Security camera footage at her property, which had been disabled, showed a man wearing a ski mask, jacket and gloves outside the residence.
In July, Savannah Guthrie posted a message on Instagram describing her family’s ongoing anguish since the kidnapping.
“The world can be a cruel and unforgiving place and I know you have tried to do things the right way. So I’m asking you, begging you, to do the right thing now,” she wrote. “Make the right choice. Help us find her. Tell us where to look for her. I truly believe it is never too late to do the right thing. Help us bring this situation to an end. For all of us, no matter where we’ve been, what we’ve done, I believe there is always a way home. Please make the right choice.”
No arrest has been made in the kidnapping itself. A later alleged ransom note claimed Nancy Guthrie “perished shortly after she was taken” and was “buried in nature now.”
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