Texas police have arrested Rebecca Lanette Taylor on January 18 over third degree felony charges of the sale and purchase of a one-year-old infant belonging to a Walmart shopper.
The Blaze reported that Taylor offered to pay $500,000 to the shopper who was with her infant son at the checkout counter of Walmart in Crockett. While KETK reported that Crockett Police Department Lieutenant Ahleea Price filed an affidavit of probable cause after receiving a distress call from the shopper being advised by "a white woman with blonde hair approached her in the Crockett Walmart, wanting to purchase her son."
Taylor and her companion, another woman of Hispanic origins as per the Messenger, initially approached the shopper "commenting on (her) son's blonde hair and blue eyes" before she asked about purchasing the child. The arrest affidavit said Taylor "asked how much she could purchase him for" but the shopper "tried to laugh this comment off thinking Taylor was joking."
"Taylor told her that she had $250,000 in the car and she would pay that much for him. (The mom) told her no amount of money would do," the affidavit said.
Taylor's companion then started asking for the child's name. The mother refused and tried to ward them off. Taylor did not leave, but instead expressed wanting to buy a child for a long time already.
The shopper, who had another child with her, then left them to go to her car in the parking lot. Taylor and her companion followed the shopper and pestered her into purchasing the infant.
"Taylor began screaming at (the mom), saying if she wouldn't take $250,000 for him, then she would give her $500,000 because she wanted him and she was going to take him," the affidavit said.
The shopper was able to get safely inside her car with her children and locked themselves inside. She then waited for Taylor and her companion to leave, which they did after they boarded a black SUV that happened to be parked beside her car.
The affidavit noted that the surveillance camera was able to record the entire exchange, which the police used to secure an arrest warrant for Taylor. The police then went to Taylor, who referred to them as "thieves." They were told to talk to her lawyer.
"She (said) that she doesn't like thieves, then she stated I could speak with her attorney and to get off her 'precipice.' She slammed the door shut," the arresting officer said in the affidavit.
The police returned with the warrant signed by Houston County District Attorney Donna Kaspar. They arrested Taylor without encountering any further incident. She was then brought to the Houston County Jail and fined with a $50,000 bond.
Accordingly, Taylor is faced with the punishment of "imprisonment in the institutional division for any term of not more than 10 years or less than two years." This excludes "a fine not to exceed $10,000" should she be "adjudged guilty of a felony of the third degree" based on the Texas Penal Code Section 12.34.
44Bars said Taylor is currently out of jail after posting $50,000 bail.
