Couple allegedly tries to sell 2-month-old baby for cash, 6-pack of beer because it's 'not working having 3 dogs and a baby'



A young couple in Arkansas has been accused of attempting to sell their 2-month-old baby for a six-pack of beer and money, according to court documents.

On Sept. 21, the Benton County Sheriff's Office received a tip from a caller that the parents of an infant had offered to exchange the baby for a six-pack of beer as well as cash, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in the case. The call reportedly was made from the manager’s office at the Beaver Lake Hide-A-Way Campground in Rogers.

'Disclaimer: After signing this there will be no changing y'all two’s minds and to never contact again.'

Shalene Ehlers, 20, approached another couple’s camper and asked them for beer — which was a regular occurrence, according to the affidavit. The couple reportedly declined, but a man named Ricky Crawford allegedly offered beers in exchange for watching the baby overnight. Ehlers and the child's father — 21-year-old Darien Urban — accepted the offer and gave Crawford a diaper bag, according to court documents.

When interviewed by a detective, Crawford allegedly said he was concerned about the baby’s welfare and wanted to get the child away from the parents. The affidavit noted that Crawford was in a "heavily intoxicated state" when questioned by police.

A detective wrote in the affidavit, "Based on the totality of the investigation, it is believed both Urban and Ehlers 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."

Crawford allegedly brought the infant to another camper where Cody Nathaniel Martin was staying.

The mother and father met with Martin, according to court documents.

The trio reportedly drew up a "contract" to sell the baby to Martin for $1,000.

“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 document reads.

The "contract" had a stipulation: “Disclaimer: After signing this there will be no changing y'all two’s minds and to never contact again.”

Multiple people reportedly witnessed the contract signing, and it also was recorded on cellphone video.

Law & Crime reported that the affidavit reads: "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."

Martin claimed he asked the mother why she was willing to sell her baby.

“Martin stated she said it was not working having three dogs and a baby,” the affidavit reads.

The campground's owner learned of the transaction and called 911, according to the sheriff's office.

Urban and Ehlers were arrested and both given a $50,000 bail.

They both were charged with endangering the welfare of a minor and attempting to accept consideration for relinquishing a minor for adoption, according to Benton County court records. Both charges are felonies.

According to Benton County Sheriff’s Office records, Urban was released, while Ehlers was still in custody.

Another camper, who had seen the baby and changed the baby's diaper, reportedly told investigators that the baby had "bad ammonia and fecal odor" and that there was a "heavy rash, blisters, and swelling on the baby's buttocks and genitals."

The baby boy was taken to a hospital.

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Convicted child rapist arrested in another state after allegedly escaping Arkansas prison with family on pickup truck and jet skis



An Arkansas man convicted of raping his 14-year-old stepdaughter — who reportedly escaped his prison sentence a year ago with the help of his family, pickup truck, and jet skis — was finally arrested after a manhunt.

Samuel Hartman, 39, was on prison work detail on Aug. 12. Suddenly, a pickup truck showed up near the East Arkansas Regional Unit prison work detail. Two women reportedly exited the truck and fired gunshots toward the prison guards, according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

Hartman – sentenced to life in prison in 2013 for a rape conviction out of Franklin County – reportedly jumped into the pickup truck, and the three suspects drove off. Correctional officers pursued the suspects until they allegedly reached the Mississippi River – where the suspects purportedly had two pre-staged jet skis ready to escape, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

"Law enforcement officers in Mississippi and Arkansas later located the two abandoned jet skis on the Mississippi side of the river," KCRA-TV reported.

Investigators later determined that Hartman's mother – 61-year-old Linda Annette White – had ties to West Virginia. White's 52-year-old boyfriend – Rodney Trent – is reportedly from West Virginia.

Arkansas authorities teamed up with U.S. Marshals, West Virginia State Police, Lewisburg Police Department, and the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Office.

On Tuesday, Hartman – previously charged with multiple offenses, from possession or manufacturing of contraband items to battery to sexual activity – was arrested along with his 39-year-old wife, Misty Hartman; his mother; and his mother's boyfriend in West Virginia.

Trent is facing charges for allegedly harboring a sex offender and helping the three fugitives evade authorities, according to the Marshals Service. Authorities did not indicate what charges Misty Hartman and White might face.

A spokesperson with the Arkansas Department of Corrections said the suspects are expected to be extradited to Arkansas as soon as possible.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) said the arrests were "the culmination of a year of outstanding, dedicated work by our heroic law enforcement officers."

"Now that they have brought this dangerous fugitive to justice, all Arkansans can sleep safer at night," she added in her statement released on Tuesday.

"In my nearly 30 years of law enforcement, I cannot recall a task force that has the level of dedication to accomplishing the mission and making our communities safer than that of CUFFED (Cops United Felony Fugitive Enforcement Division Task Force)," said Michael Baylous, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of West Virginia. "The apprehension of these dangerous fugitives demonstrates the close and outstanding relationship that CUFFED enjoys with our local and state partners, other USMS Districts, and the USMS Domestic Investigations Branch."

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