An Arkansas couple signed an insane contract in a twisted effort to pawn their two-month-old baby to strangers at a campground for $1,000 and a few beers.
Darien Tyler Urban, 21, and Shalene Faith Ehlers, 20, were trying to exchange their baby with a man they met at a campground near Beaver Lake on Saturday when the manager called police. KNWA reports.
Officers arrived at the scene and learned that the couple had signed a letter granting custody to a man named Cody Martin in exchange for a $1,000 cashier’s check.
Previously, the duo had passed their baby to another man who was noticeably intoxicated from some beer, according to the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.
The contract stated: ‘I, Darien Urban and Shalene Ehlers, will assign our rights to (Martin) of our baby for $1,000 on 09/21/24.
‘Disclaimer: After signing this, there will be no change of mind and we will never contact you again.’
Darien Urban, 21, and Shalene Ehlers, 20, were arrested for allegedly trying to sell their two-month-old baby to a stranger for $1,000.
The couple was staying at a campground near Beaver Lake in Arkansas.
When officers arrived at the scene, Ehlers and Urban were nowhere to be found. according to 4029TV.
Officers then spoke to several witnesses, including Ricky Crawford, who they said “smelled a lot” of alcohol, slurred his speech, and struggled to stand upright.
Crawford told officers he approached the young couple earlier and offered to take their baby for the night in exchange for a six-pack of beer, according to KNWA.
Crawford also said he was “concerned for the welfare” of the boy and took him to Martin, who was staying in a caravan.
Urban and Ehlers then went to Martin’s trailer with the offer to sell the baby for $1,000, the Kansas City Star reports: citing court documents.
Martin said Ehlers told her she had a hard time caring for the baby because of her pets, and said “it wasn’t working out to have three dogs and a baby.”
Martin agreed to pay for the baby, but told the couple he wanted to have it in writing. So he drew up the crude contract for the couple to sign.
He also took a video of Urban and Ehlers signing the document as additional proof that they agreed, and the couple said they planned to “legalize” the adoption that Monday.
But Martin didn’t have the money and told Urban and Ehlers he would bring them a $1,000 cashier’s check the next day.
However, instead, Martin took the signed agreement to the campground manager and explained what happened, prompting the manager to call 911.
When investigators finally found Ehlers and Urban, they asked the coupe if they knew where their son was, to which they responded that he was up for adoption.
Another woman officers spoke to reported that the baby “had a bad odor of ammonia and feces.”
She said she changed the diaper and saw “a severe rash, blisters and swelling on the baby’s buttocks and genitals.”
The couple was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a minor and attempting to compromise consideration for placing a minor for adoption.
The woman also claimed that the diaper was also full of dog hair and gave the baby a bath.
“Urban and Ehlers created a substantial risk of death or serious physical injury by abandoning their minor child initially with an obviously intoxicated man and ultimately with someone they did not know,” court documents say.
The couple was then arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a minor and attempting to compromise consideration for placing a minor for adoption.
Urban was released on $5,000 bail Tuesday, while Ehlers remained in custody on $30,000 bail, according to KNWA, which reports both had prior criminal records.
Urban was previously convicted of two counts of felony theft by receiving in Bentonville in 2024 and one count of assault in Rogers in 2023.
He was still serving a three-year probation at the time of his arrest.
Meanwhile, Ehlers was arrested for misdemeanor theft in Fayetteville in 2024.
Last year, Urban also created an online fundraiser saying that he and Ehlers were struggling after the birth of their first child, a daughter.
“My daughter Rosa was born on May 20, 2023 and I am super happy to be a dad, but they keep hitting me every time I think that life is starting to change,” he said.
‘I’m trying to do this fundraiser because we live in a motel now and it’s taking all the money out of my paychecks from work. I work for Uber Eats.
“All the funds we get from this will be used to get a better roof for my family.”
The fundraiser only generated $150 for the family.
It’s unclear what happened to the older child, but prosecutors said the baby is now in the care of the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
