MalloryKeaton

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/news/nat..._babysold.html

Coupled Allegedly Sold Baby Girl For $5,000
(3/16/05) — An 18-year-old Kentucky woman is in custody while police investigate allegations that she and her boyfriend sold the woman's 9-month-old daughter to a Michigan couple for $5,000.

Police learned of the alleged baby sale Sunday night during a domestic disturbance investigation at the home of Jessica Cornett and Kenneth Couch. Williamsburg police Chief Don Hamlin said Cornett told police that Couch, who is not the child's father, had "sold her baby.

"The couple were arrested on outstanding warrants on unrelated charges. Cornett was still being held at the Whitley County, Ky., jail today, but Couch was released on bail, Hamlin said.

County Commonwealth Attorney Allen Trimble said investigators have put together enough information to determine that a crime has been committed.

"This is probably the first time in my experience that we've had a similar case of this type here in this jurisdiction," Trimble said. "Based on what we have right now, a crime did occur."

A grand jury will be convened on March 31 to consider criminal charges.

Couch told a reporter from WKYT in Lexington that the couple gave the child to a woman from Michigan in January, but denied selling the child, claiming they only wanted to find a temporary safe place for the infant because he and Cornett were concerned about their safety.

"Well, we had clothes and formula and everything like that and everything like that for the baby and everything," he said. "It was a mistake, we just wanted to send her here, you know, where she'll be protected. We shouldn't have pawned her off on her and got money in return."

But Cornett's mother said her daughter told her just days after the girl was born that she did not want the child, and said she often called her to ask her to take the youngster off her hands. But each time, she would reconsider.

"She would call and say meet me at McDonald's, meet me at Wilton Pond, meet me here, meet me there, I will give you the baby, I do not want her," Tonya Vickers said. "Each time we went to meet her it was, she would change her mind."

In Michigan, the Lake County Sheriff's Department is investigating the Baldwin couple who allegedly bought the baby.

On Sunday night, the sheriff's department received a call from Williamsburg police, asking them to check into reports that a Baldwin couple had bought a little girl for $5,000. An hour and a half later, the sheriff's department found the baby girl and took her from the couple, Undersheriff Michael Dermyer said. He did not identify the couple, but described them as young and as living in a very nice home. He says they have no children of their own, but wanted kids. Dermyer said the Baldwin couple had two typed guardianship papers for the child in their possession.

The couple cooperated fully, gave up the girl immediately, and the police placed her in foster care, Dermyer said.

On Monday night, Kentucky officials flew to Grand Rapids to take the child back to her home state.

Dermyer said charges were unlikely to be brought against the Michigan couple.