Rebecca Lanette Taylor allegedly tried blocking the mother's vehicle after she refused to hand over her youngest child, police said the mother told them.
A Texas woman is out on bond after she was arrested for allegedly trying to purchase another woman’s infant son by offering the mother $500,000 as they stood on the self-checkout line in a local Walmart, officials said.
On Tuesday, Rebecca Lanette Taylor, 49, was charged with the sale or purchase of a child, a third-degree felony in Texas, The Messenger reported.
Taylor was booked into the Houston County Jail and was released on Thursday after posting $50,000 bond, according to KPRC-TV.
The mother said she was waiting at the store’s self-checkout line with her infant son, who was in a car seat carrier, and her 1-year-old son, who was seated in a shopping cart, when a stranger, later identified as Taylor, approached her and began making comments about her youngest child, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Crockett Police Department Lt. Ahleea Price obtained by The Messenger.
The mother, whose identity was not disclosed, told the lieutenant that Taylor allegedly, “commented on her son’s blonde hair and blue eyes,” before asking her if she could buy him for $250,000, according to the affidavit.
Authorities said the mother 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 mother told Taylor that no amount of money would do, The Messenger reported.
When the mother refused, Taylor allegedly increased the offer to $500,000 and threatened to take the child, KPRC-TV reported. Taylor continued to bring up the topic, and the mother told her to stay away from her son.
Taylor reportedly told the mother that she had been looking forward to buying a baby for some time, according to the authorities, KETK News reported.
After the frightening ordeal, the mother said that after she placed her children in her own car and locked the doors, Taylor reportedly stood behind a black SUV, the news outlet reported.
“Taylor began screaming at [the mother], 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, according to The Messenger.
Police reviewed surveillance footage from Walmart, which confirmed what the mother said, and tracked down Taylor, who would not speak about the incident, the news station reported.
After police informed the district attorney about what happened, a warrant was issued for Taylor's arrest, KETK reported.
If Taylor is convicted, she could face between two and 10 years behind bars and a fine of up to $10,000, The Messenger reported.
A clerk at the District Judge's office told Inside Edition Digital that Taylor declined a court-appointed attorney and will be using someone privately. A clerk at the DA's office told Inside Edition Digital that the case is going to a grand jury. A date has not yet been determined at this time.
