(NewsSpace.com) – When people have children, they are required to care for them and provide the most basic needs, such as food, shelter, and clothing. However, that’s not always the case. One Florida mother is now in jail after authorities arrested her for allegedly trying to sell her toddler.
In a social media post, the Palatka Police Department detailed 33-year-old Jessica Woods’ alleged bizarre behavior with her young daughter led to a local area employee asking if she needed help. The police claimed she’d been hanging around the local H&R Block location with the little girl for a few days. Anita Fergus reportedly found Woods sleeping outside on top of an air conditioning unit while her child slept in a shopping cart with no blanket. Fergus also alleged she saw and heard the woman hitting her child.
When approached with an offer to buy supplies, Woods reportedly denied any assistance, but instead, offered to sell her 18-month-old toddler to Fergus for $500. When the woman refused, Woods allegedly walked away, leaving her child behind. The citizen then took the little girl to the police department and explained the situation. The young child was eventually placed in foster care.
Two days later, police arrested Woods at a home in the area and charged her with multiple felonies, including three counts of child abuse, and one count each of selling or surrendering a minor for money or property, unlawful desertion of a child, and child neglect. She is ordered not to have any contact with her daughter unless permitted by a court order. Woods is currently behind bars in Putnam County Jail on a $255,000 bond.
That wasn’t Woods’ first run-in with the law. In the past two-and-a-half years, she has been arrested six times and charged with a spate of crimes, including larceny, trespassing, and possession of narcotics. It’s not clear when she is due to appear in court again.
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