A chilling transaction unfolded at an Arkansas campground last September, revealing a desperate act with heartbreaking implications. A young couple, overwhelmed and facing unimaginable choices, attempted to sell their two-month-old son to a stranger for a paltry sum – a six-pack of beer and one thousand dollars.
Darien Urban, 22, and Shalene Ehlers, 21, approached a man named Cody Martin at Beaver Lake Hide-A-Way Campground, initiating a conversation that would quickly spiral into a disturbing proposition. They offered him their infant, a vulnerable life barely begun, in exchange for the meager payment.
The couple didn’t stop at a verbal agreement. They meticulously drafted a handwritten contract, a stark and unsettling document outlining the transfer of parental rights. It coldly stated their intention to relinquish their baby, adding a final, heartbreaking clause: “After signing this there will be no changing y’all two’s minds to never contact again.”
Fortunately, the unthinkable was averted by the quick thinking of a campground witness. Overhearing the exchange, the witness immediately alerted authorities using the manager’s office phone, and crucially, provided the signed contract to law enforcement. This decisive action led to the swift arrest of Urban and Ehlers by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.
Initially charged with endangering the welfare of a minor and attempting to profit from the relinquishment of a child, the couple faced serious consequences. The case moved through the Benton County Circuit Court, culminating in plea deals before Judge Brad Karren on December 22nd.
Darien Urban pleaded guilty to attempted acceptance of compensation for adoption, receiving a three-year sentence in the Arkansas Department of Corrections, with an additional three years suspended. The endangerment charge against him was ultimately dismissed.
Shalene Ehlers also entered a guilty plea, but to both initial charges. However, in a controversial outcome, she received six years of state-supervised probation with all sentences suspended – meaning she will not serve any time in prison.
The case serves as a stark reminder of the profound struggles some families face, and the critical importance of intervention when the most vulnerable among us are at risk. It highlights the devastating consequences of desperation and the enduring power of community vigilance.
