PALATKA, FL – A local woman is facing serious charges after attempting to sell her toddler for $500 and abandoning the child when she found no takers, according to local law enforcement.
33-year-old Jessica Woods was apprehended and is now facing charges of child neglect and abandonment, selling or surrendering a minor for property or money, and three counts of child abuse. The incident took place outside a local business establishment in Palatka, Florida.
Woods had been seen lingering around the area with her 18-month-old daughter for several days prior to the incident on March 5, as per the Palatka Police Department’s statement released on Wednesday.
When an employee of the business approached Woods to offer assistance, she declined the help but proposed to sell her child instead, the police reported. After the employee declined to buy the child, Woods allegedly walked away, leaving her daughter behind.
The concerned employee promptly brought the child to the local police department and relayed the incident. The toddler has since been placed under the care of the Department of Children and Families and is currently in foster care.
Woods was arrested two days after the incident, on March 7, and is currently detained at the Putnam County jail with a bail set at $255,000, as per jail records.