A young couple from Arkansas in the United States tried to sell their baby for $1,000 (around 900 euros) and cans of beer.
Their arrest came after a manager at the Hide Away campground contacted the sheriff’s office on September 21 to report that the lovers were trying to sell their 2-month-old baby boy to a campground resident, reports the NY Post.
“You can’t change your mind.”
The child’s parents from Benton County in Arkansas (United States), Darien Urban, 21, and Shalene Ehlers, 20, were arrested in the process. They are both accused of endangering the well-being of a minor and attempting to negotiate their abandonment with a view to adoption.
The police also obtained a letter in which the couple had agreed to give their child to a man in exchange for 1,000 dollars (around 900 euros). The contract, signed by both parents, said: “We, Darien Urban and Shalene Ehlers, sign over our rights to our baby to Cody Martin for $1,000 on 9/21/24”.
The letter also included a disclaimer stating: “You two won’t be able to change your minds and you will never be able to contact us again.”indicates the NY Post.
The child entrusted to social services
Investigators also discovered that earlier in the day, another resident of the campsite had offered the two lovers to take their baby for the night in exchange for several cans of beer, which they accepted, court documents confirm.
This man then offered the child to another resident of the campsite. The couple then approached him to offer to sell them the child for $1,000.
The baby who needed medical attention was transported to a local hospital for examination. He was turned over to the Arkansas Department of Human Services, according to prosecutors.
The young man of the couple was released on bail of $5,000 on Tuesday September 24 unlike his partner who remained in detention with bail set at $30,000.
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