A young Arkansas couple are accused of trying to sell their baby for a 6-pack of beer and $1,000 at a campground.
Darien Tyler Urban, 21, and Shalene Ehlers, 20, have been charged with endangering the welfare of a minor in the first degree and attempting to accept compensation for relinquishment of a minor, both felony offenses, according to Benton County Sheriff’s Office court records obtained by Law & Crime.
On September 21, Benton County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call from the owner of Beaver Lake Hide-A-Way Campground after he caught wind of the transaction, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in the case.
Authorities found the two-month-old at the campground and alerted emergency services, who transferred the child to a hospital for evaluation, according to KFOR. The baby’s biological parents were nowhere to be found.
A witness told law enforcement the baby boy “had a bad ammonia and fecal odor” and a “heavy rash, blisters and swelling” on their buttocks and genitals, according to The Kansas City Star.
Police ultimately tracked down a “contract” signed by both the runaway parents and one would-be buyer, who was identified by authorities as Cody Martin.
It read: “I Darien Urban and Shalene Ehlers are signing our rights over to Cody Nathaniel Martin of our baby boy for $1,000 on 09/21/2024.
“Disclaimer: Alter signing this there will be no changing yall two’s minds and to never contact again.”
A video sent to authorities by a witness allegedly showed Urban, Ehler, and Martin signing the document.
Ricky Crawford, a man at the campground who detectives say was drunk and slurring his speech, told authorities that the sale was prompted by his concern for the baby’s welfare, according to the affidavit.
He asked the couple if he could take the child in exchange for several cans of beer, and they willingly agreed, handing him the boy along with a diaper bag.
Crawford then went to Martin, who was also staying at the campground, and together they signed the document, offering the couple another $1,000 for the baby, according to police documents. Martin told law enforcement that, while he was the person who drew up the contract, no money ever changed hand, as he planned to bring the couple their $1,000 check in a couple of days.
Benton County Sheriff’s Office said: “It is believed both Urban and Ehler created a substantial risk of death or serious physical injury by abandoning their minor child initially with an obviously intoxicated male and ultimately with someone they did not know.”
The couple was taken into custody, and held on $50,000 bail. The boy’s father appears to have since been released, while his mother is still being detained, according to Benton County Sheriff’s Office records say Law & Crime.
