An Arkansas couple was arrested for trying to sell their baby to a stranger for $1,000 and a six-pack of beer.
Benton County deputies responded to Beaver Lake Hide-A-Way Campground in Rodgers on Saturday after receiving a disturbing 911 call.
The caller informed authorities that a couple, identified as 21-year-old Darien Urban and 20-year-old Shalene Ehlers, were attempting to sell a baby for beer and a cashier’s check for $1,000.
When the deputies arrived at the scene, the parents had left the 2-month-old baby with a man. The baby, needed medical attention, was taken to a hospital.
Deputies were provided videos of the couple signing over their rights to the child in a letter and agreeing to legalize the document on Monday.
“I Darien Urban and Shalene Ehlers are signing our rights over to Cody Nathaniel Martin of our baby boy [redacted] for $1,000 on 09/21/2024,” the letter read.
“Disclaimer: After signing this, there will be no changing yall two’s minds and to never contact again.”
Martin told investigators that he asked the parents why they would sell their son and Ehlers replied that “it was not working having three dogs and a baby.”
The couple had been charged with endangering the welfare of a minor and attempting to commit consideration for relinquishing a minor for adoption.
