[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
A young couple in Arkansas is facing charges after they allegedly attempted to sell their two-month-old newborn son to another person in the city of Rogers for a thousand-dollar check and some beer. Yes, you read that right. Beer.
According to a police affidavit from the Benton County Sheriff’s Office first viewed by Law & Crime on Thursday, deputies were called to the Beaver Lake Hide-A-Way Campground outside the city of Rogers on Saturday. There, a person reported that a couple was trying to give up their newborn son in exchange for a $1,000 check and a six-pack of beer. The caller said the parents even “wrote a letter” outlining the terms of the alleged adoption, per the affidavit.
As deputies began to investigate, they came across 21-year-old Darien Urban and his girlfriend, 20-year-old Shalene Ehlers. Cops also found a contract said to be written out and signed by both Urban and Ehlers. In the contract, the couple agreed to give over their unnamed baby boy to a man named Cody Nathaniel Martin:
“I Darien Urban and Shalene Ehlers are signing our rights over to Cody Nathaniel Martin of our baby boy [name withheld] for $1,000 on 09/21/2024. Disclaimer: After signing this there will be no changing yall two’s minds and to never contact again.”
WTF…
And as if that weren’t enough, deputies also found cell phone video footage of the couple allegedly signing the contract and turning over the rights of the baby boy to Martin, too. Jeez!!
This all only came to light because of the beer exchange, which cops now say was the thing that set the “adoption” in motion. See, another man at the campground named Ricky Crawford had been concerned about the welfare of the baby, so he visited the young couple’s camper on Saturday and offered to watch their baby. In exchange, they asked him for some beer. As the affidavit states, that was when the adoption idea first began to take hold:
“He asked if he could have the baby overnight and provided Urban and Ehlers with several cans of beer in exchange. Urban and Ehlers agreed and gave the baby along with a diaper bag to Crawford. He then brought the baby to Martin at another camper at the campground. Ehlers and Urban then came to the same camper and spoke to Martin and Crawford before signing the letter.”
When cops questioned Martin — who they wrote in the affidavit appeared to be “heavily intoxicated” while being interviewed — he allegedly confessed to drafting up the letter. He also apparently did not pay the couple at first after “adopting” the baby, but instead told them that “he would get them a cashier’s check for $1,000 on Monday.” When cops asked the couple about that story, they responded like so:
“Urban was asked where his baby was. He stated with Cody and that the baby was undergoing an adoption. Ehler[s] was asked where her baby was. She stated with Crawford for the night.”
Both boyfriend and girlfriend then shared similar stories as to how the “adoption” came to be, too:
“They reported Crawford had come to the camper and requested to take the baby for the night. They stated they agreed and gave the baby to Crawford. They stated they then discussed it and went to the camper where the baby was and spoke to Martin. They stated they offered to surrender the baby to Martin in exchange for $1,000 in cash. They stated Martin created an agreement that they videotaped to ensure it was legal and they planned to ‘legalize’ it on Monday. They both stated they then left on the understanding the baby was given to Martin in exchange for $1,000 to be collected on Monday.”
Another campground resident, Felicia Ayers, also spoke to deputies. She said that she was very concerned about the horrible state the infant was in for a while by then. She also confirmed to cops that Urban and Ehlers “regularly” asked her for beer, too. And they even allegedly offered to let her have the baby for a time in exchange for alcohol. WTF!!! Per the affidavit, Ayers noted:
“Felicia Ayers stated the baby had a bad ammonia and fecal odor and the diaper was full. She changed the baby’s diaper and observed heavy rash, blisters, and swelling on the baby’s buttocks and genitals. She also observed dog hair around inside the diaper of the baby.”
Ayers also “provided photos showing the rash and blisters of the baby,” indicating those issues had allegedly been going on for some time.
Related: Teen Carly Gregg Found Guilty Of Murdering Mom — But Could Get Out Sooner Than You Think!
And regarding all that dog hair, Martin also hinted at Ehlers’ apparent motivation for giving up her baby:
“Martin stated she [Ehlers] said it was not working having three dogs and a baby.”
Ultimately, Urban and Ehlers were both arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a minor and attempting to accept consideration for relinquishment of a minor. The baby, thankfully, was transported to a local hospital. The police affidavit concluded:
“Based on the totality of the investigation, it is believed both Urban and Ehler[s] 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.”
Per records from the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Urban and Ehlers were both initially held on $50,000 bail. Urban has since been released; per Too Fab, Ehlers is still in jail as of Friday morning.
What an absolutely sickening situation… There are truly no words…
If you have sincere cause to suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.
If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, help is available. Consider checking out the resources SAMHSA provides at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or check out StartYourRecovery.org.
[Image via Benton County Sheriff’s Office]
