North Carolina authorities arrest 3 individuals, including the child’s mother, Alice Leann Todd, when she sells her one year old baby to a couple in exchange for a used car.
It might be time to trade in your old vehicle.
A North Carolina mother has been arrested for allegedly giving away her one-year-old daughter in exchange for a used car.
Thomasville Police booked Alice Leann Todd, 45, of Davidson County at her house on Wednesday, the same day they arrested Tina Marie Chavis, 47, and Chavis’ husband, Vicencio Romero, 53, at their home in the small city, located about 69 miles northeast of Charlotte.
The arrests comes as Chavis and Romero pretended to be the child’s parents soon after giving their 26 year old vehicle to the child’s biological mother. A report via the Richmond Times Dispatch identified the automobile as an early 1990s (1992) Plymouth Laser Hatchback.
Come Thursday, the trio appeared in court to face felony charges of unlawful sale, surrender, or purchase of a minor.
47 year old woman unable to provide documents showing she was the sick child’s parent:
Investigators learned of the group’s alleged ‘transaction’ after staffers at Wake Forest Baptist Health High Point Medical Center called police on July 23.
The medical center also contacted child protective services when Chavis showed up there with a two-year-old girl who had bruises on her body, telling doctors the child appeared to be having an allergic reaction.
The 47-year-old initially said she was the unnamed child’s mother, only to find herself tripped up when she couldn’t produce paperwork to corroborate her claims. Upon further questioning, Chavis then said she had adopted the toddler, police said. Asked for documents showing she was indeed the adopted mother, police said the woman was unable to meet officer’s requests.
Responding officers initially put the little girl in the care of a family member as they proceeded to investigate. It wasn’t until two months later that all three suspects were rounded up.
During that time, detectives discovered Chavis had acquired the child from Alice Todd some time in 2018.
It’s still unclear why Chavis and her husband accepted a baby in exchange for a car or why the child’s mother agreed to the transaction in the first place.
But there’s more.
An ad for the 27-year-old blue sedan was recently posted on Edmunds.com, according to NBC News. The vehicle received a four out of five star rating from eight reviewers.
‘The Laser gains all-wheel drive as an option that greatly improves handling,’ the car’s page says. ‘Front and rear styling changes include headlights, tail lamps, and a new rear spoiler on turbo models.’
Police declined to provide an update on the child’s condition or location on Thursday. WXII-TV reported the little girl is safe and in the custody of a family member.
All three suspects are being held at Davidson County Jail on $50,000, court and jail records show. Each is scheduled to appear in court again on October 21.
