Salinas California police arrested a couple who they say tried to sell their 6-month-old baby for $25 Tuesday night outside of Walmart.
Police spokesman Officer Lalo Villegas said the father tried to sell the child about 7:20 p.m. outside the store on North Davis Road.
Villegas said Salinas resident Patrick Fousek, 38, had approached two women and asked to use their cell phone. * After he finished his phone call, police said, Fousek asked the women, who had been playing with the baby, if they would like to purchase his daughter for $25.
"They thought he was joking," Villegas said. "They laughed, but he was very persistent. That's when they knew this guy was serious."
Police said Fousek immediately left and went to the car where the mother, Samantha Tomasini, 20, was waiting. As the couple drove away, Villegas said, the two women were able to get the pair's license plate number.
About 1 a.m. Wednesday, Villegas said, police officers tracked down the couple at their residence in the 700 block of East Romie Lane.
Officers said the couple appeared high on methamphetamine and the house was in disarray. A police report also claimed that Tomasini told Child Protective Services, who took the baby, that she had breast-fed the infant while under the influence, Villegas said.
Police arrested Fousek and Tomasini on suspicion of child endangerment and being under the influence of a controlled substance. Fousek, police said, was also on probation. The pair was booked into the Monterey County Jail.
The couple was expected to be in court for an arraignment Friday, at which time they would be assigned public defenders.
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