Cops: Florida mom tries to sell son for $2K‎

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. - A Pinellas County judge has ordered a 5-year-old into foster care after deputies said his mother tried to sell him for $2,000. A Tampa couple said they wanted to continue to care for the boy but an incident in 2005 prevented that from happening.

Jessica Beers is accused of trying to sell the adoptive rights to her son to James and Betty Gardner.

At a dependency hearing on Monday, case workers Told Judge Patrice Moore that Beers and her biological father have severe prescription drug dependencies.

Beers had been living with the Gardners for a number of years.

Detectives say James Gardner went to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office on Saturday to report that Beers was attempting to sell him her child.

He told detectives that he and his wife had met Beers through church when she was struggling to make ends meet. They befriended her and her son, and began assisting them with food and monetary help.

Police say that over time, the Gardners noticed Beers had a prescription drug addiction, and she was leaving the child in their custody more frequently.

Within the past week, Beers offered to sell her parental rights to Gardner and his wife for $2,000, according to deputies. They believe she wanted the money in order to feed her prescription drug habit.

Fearing for the child's welfare, Gardner contacted the Sheriff's Office.

Detectives arrested Beers at an undisclosed prearranged location in Seminole were she was to meet Gardner and exchange the child for money.

Beers admitted to detectives she was attempting to sell her son, but refused to say why.

At Monday's hearing, the Gardners said they would like to continue to care for the boy.

"I've raised him as a son. I'm the only father he's ever known since he was 3-months-old,"
James Gardner told the judge.

But Judge Moore refused, citing a child abuse allegation against the Gardners stemming from an incident in 2005 when they were foster parents.

According to the Gardners, a 6-year-old in their care had urinated in a bottle and tried to make a 2-year-old drink it. Betty Gardner intervened and handed the bottle back to the 6-year-old and told him to drink it.

The child refused and Betty Gardner hoped she had taught the child a lesson. He did not drink from the bottle, according to the Gardners.

The Gardners called the Department of Children and Families to report what had happened and asked that the child be removed from the home because they believed he was a potential threat to the other children.

The incident landed the Gardners in hot water. They said that DCF officials told them that if you hand a child a bottle or urine and tell him to drink it, that constitutes child abuse.

The case was dropped when the Gardners agreed to relinquish their foster care license.

Jessica Beers is being held on $10,000 bond on one count of Prohibited Acts; Sale of Parental Rights, and one count of Violation of Probation (Grand Theft).