On 23/12, Darien Urban, 21, and his wife Shalene Ehlers, 20, were tried by the Benton County Court in Arkansas on charges of endangering the safety of a child and conspiracy to receive money for adoption. The father was sentenced to three years in prison, while the mother received six years of probation.
The incident came to light on 21/9/2024 when the Benton County Sheriff's Office received a tip-off. The caller, at a campsite in Rogers, reported a young couple "selling their child for six cans of beer".
Authorities immediately responded to the scene, taking statements from multiple witnesses and obtaining a child transfer contract and video recordings of the transaction.
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The couple accused of selling their child for six cans of beer. *Law and Crime*. |
Testimony later revealed that Shalene, the young mother, regularly carried her child around the area, begging for beer from camping families. On that particular day, Shalene approached one family's tent but was refused.
A short distance away, she encountered a man named Ricky, who offered six cans of beer to look after the baby overnight. According to Ricky's statement, he made the offer out of concern for the child, hoping to rescue the baby from the neglectful couple that very night. While this sounded humane, police noted that Ricky was "completely intoxicated" at the time.
The mother immediately agreed, took the beer, and handed the two-month-old infant to the stranger. Ricky then took the baby back to his tent. Minutes later, Shalene brought her husband to discuss the "child sale".
In addition to the six cans of beer, Ricky drafted a brief handwritten agreement, asking the couple to sign it. The agreement stated the baby would be transferred for 1,000 USD. "After signing this document, you both will not be able to change your minds and will never contact the child again," the document read.
No money had been exchanged yet; Ricky intended to pay two days later. Upon their arrest, Darien and Shalene appeared indifferent.
Investigators accused the two of creating a risk of death or serious injury by abandoning their infant to an intoxicated stranger.
The baby was immediately taken to the hospital. Under the plea agreement and sentence, the two defendants are prohibited from contacting the child.
