A cruel Florida mother allegedly attempted to sell her infant for $500 at a bank, but no one took her up on the offer, and the child was abandoned last week.
Jessica Woods, 33, was seen lingering outside an H&R Block shop in Palatka, Fla., with her 18-month-old daughter when she was approached by a bank employee.
The staff recognized Woods as the woman who frequently visited the bank and even used the restroom to change her daughter.
According to a probable cause document obtained by the Daily Mail, Woods was once seen slapping her daughter with her elbow and spanking her inside the restroom.
The following morning, March 5, Woods was discovered sleeping on an external air conditioning unit while her kid was inside a neighboring shopping cart with no covers.
The concerned bank staff asked the woman if she needed assistance, and Woods allegedly demanded cash.
Her request was not honored, but the staff offered to purchase the two products, which irritated Woods to the point of throwing her child, according to the publication.
Later that day, Woods returned to the bank and placed her infant on the ground, who immediately began crawling toward traffic.
The employee took up the infant, and Woods inquired whether she wanted to buy her daughter.
“Woods told the citizen she didn’t need anything but offered to sell the child for $500,” according to a press statement from the Palatka Police Department. “When the citizen refused to purchase the child, Woods walked away, leaving her daughter behind.”
The staff carried the toddler inside the bank to clean her up before reporting Woods’ heinous behavior to the authorities. Officers cared for the youngster until the Department of Children and Families arrived to take custody of her.
“As a result of an investigation, Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Woods charging her with child abuse, child neglect, and abandonment of a child.”
The child has since been placed in foster care. Woods was arrested on March 7 and charged with six felony counts, according to jail documents obtained by The Post.
She was taken into Putnam County Jail on charges of selling or surrendering a juvenile for money or property, unlawful desertion of a child, aggravated child abuse, and three counts of child abuse without great bodily harm.
According to court documents, the charges resulted in a $255,000 bond.
In 2022, a Florida sex offender was arrested after allegedly attempting to “purchase” an 8-year-old child for $100,000 at a supermarket.
Hellmuth Kolb had been on probation and barred from having contact with children after attempting to purchase a different youngster at Walmart in 2018, according to WESH-TV.