BENTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — Two people have been arrested and are accused of trying to sell their two-month-old baby for $1,000 at a Benton County campground on Sept. 21.
Darien Urban and Shalene Ehlers, the parents of the baby, were detained on Sept. 21 by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) and are accused of trying to trade their baby for money and beer.
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Urban, 21, is accused of first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and accepting compensation for adoption. His bond is set at $50,000.
Ehlers’ booking info said she’s accused of first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and accepting compensation for adoption, with bond set at $30,000.
According to an affidavit, BCSO was called to Hide Away Campground on Sept. 21. The caller claimed the parents of a two-month-old baby tried to give up the baby for a six-pack of beer and then $1,000.
“The parents wrote a letter for the reporting person giving them custody of the baby,” the affidavit said, adding that the caller noted the baby appeared to need medical attention.
A deputy responded to the campground, where emergency medical services were on the scene. The parents were not on the scene and the baby was transported to a nearby hospital, the affidavit said.
Witnesses on the scene were interviewed and the letter, signed by the suspects, was obtained. According to the affidavit, the letter said the following:
“I Darien Urban and Shalene Ehlers are signing our rights over to [redacted] of our baby boy [redacted] for $1,000 on 09/21/2024.”
The letter was signed by the pair and included a disclaimer that “after signing this there will be no changing y’all two’s minds and to never contact again,” the affidavit noted. One witness on the scene had cellphone video of the couple signing the letter.
The affidavit said that a detective found that the baby had been given to someone at the campground in exchange for a six-pack of beer, and that the baby was then passed off to another person for the $1,000, but one person involved said that no money was actually given.
The person who traded the beer for the baby was interviewed and said he was concerned for the baby’s welfare and wanted to keep it for the night. The affidavit said this person was stumbling, had slurred speech, and breath that smelled heavily of alcohol.
Urban and Ehler, the parents, were interviewed and said that the baby was with the person that “adopted” them. The two were detained and taken to BCSO, where the affidavit said they recounted the events.
“They stated [redacted] created an agreement that they videotaped to ensure it was legal and they planned to ‘legalize’ it on Monday. They both stated that they then left on the understanding that the baby was given to [redacted] in exchange for $1,000 to be collected on Monday,” the affidavit said.
Witnesses told investigators that the baby had a “bad ammonia and fecal odor,” and that while changing their diaper they observed “heavy rash, blisters, and swelling on the baby’s buttocks and genitals.”
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