Florida mom accused of offering man sex with her 10-year-old daughter for $5
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A Florida mom was arrested after she tried to offer her daughter up for sex for $5 and tried to sell her child for $20, according to authorities.
The 32-year-old woman, who officers did not name to protect the child's identity, was arrested and charged with selling or surrendering a minor for money or property and child abuse, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
The incident happened recently in downtown Jacksonville.
A local kindergarten teacher who was dropping off food at a nearby homeless shelter said the mother approached her.
"Take her with you. Give me $20, you can have her," the woman allegedly said.
A man also told investigators that the mom offered her daughter up for sex for $5, officers said. That man did not report the incident to police until he was approached by officers.
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"The 10-year-old was crying, hungry, and looked like she had not bathed in days," a spokesperson for the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
Investigators said the daughter was "severely lethargic," so she was taken to a local hospital for treatment, officers said.
"She has been temporarily placed in a safe environment as the case moves through the court system," the sheriff's office said.
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The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Integrity and Special Investigations Unit is working the case alongside the FBI. The case has also been referred to the Department of Children and Families, the Child Protection Team and the State Attorney's Office's Special Assault Division.
"This is a sad reminder that human trafficking does happen in our community. It often goes unreported," the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said in a statement, adding that if you or anyone you know is a victim of human trafficking or if you're worrying about someone's well-being, you can contact the sheriff's office at 904-630-0500 or JSOCrimeTips@JaxSheriff.org, or send in an anonymous tip to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.