A woman from Crockett, Texas, was arrested after allegedly offering $500,000 to buy a mother's infant son at a Walmart.
The woman in question was identified by NBC affiliate KETK-TV as Rebecca Lanette Taylor.
Taylor was detained on January 18 and charged with the sale or purchase of a child–which is considered a third-degree felony.
According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Lieutenant Ahleea Price with the Crockett Police Department, the mother of the child called authorities “advising a White woman with blonde hair approached her in the Crockett Walmart, wanting to purchase her son.”
You can watch a news report, here.
The mother told Price she was waiting at the self-checkout line with a baby in a car seat and her one-year-old in the cart when Taylor approached her.
Authorities wrote that Taylor:
“Began commenting on her son’s blonde hair and blue eyes. She asked how much she could purchase him for. (The mom) tried to laugh this comment off, thinking Taylor was joking."
"Taylor told her that she had $250,000 in the car and she would pay that much for him. (The mom) told her no amount of money would do."
When Taylor kept persisting, the mother told her to leave and stay away from her son.
According to law enforcement, Taylor told the mother she had been looking forward to purchasing a baby for quite some time.
The mother also informed authorities there was a second woman involved who asked for the child's name, but the mother refused to offer that information.
However, the two women somehow knew the name of the child and began calling it out.
The mother waited for the two women to leave Walmart.
When they did, she headed out into the parking lot where she was confronted by Taylor again.
The affidavit continued:
"Taylor began screaming at (the mom), saying if she wouldn't take $250,000 for him, then she would give her $500,000 because she wanted him and she was going to take him."
The mother locked her children inside her vehicle.
Taylor was standing behind a black SUV that was parked next to her car.
After repeating she wanted the child and would pay $500,000 for him, Taylor eventually got into the SUV and left the scene.
Price confirmed from watching Walmart's surveillance footage the mother's statements were accurate.
Price later went to Taylor's residence to obtain more information, but the interaction went nowhere.
Said Price in the affidavit:
“She told me that she doesn’t like thieves, then she stated I could speak with her attorney and to get off her ‘precipice.’ She slammed the door shut.”
KETK reported a warrant was signed for Taylor's arrest after Price shared information of the incident with Houston County District Attorney Donna Kaspar.
Taylor was booked into the Houston County Jail and is being held on a $50,000 bond.
Indy 100 noted Section 12.34 of Texas' Penal Code states "that someone who is guilty of a third-degree felony will be imprisoned "for any term of not more than 10 years or less than two years."
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