MO - Oronogo grandmother sought to swap newborn for used car, police say

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Woman accused of trying to swap baby for car

JOPLIN, Mo. — An Oronogo woman stands accused of trying to arrange the swap of a newborn child for a used car.

Lana Y. Banks, 44, surrendered Friday morning at the Jasper County Jail in Carthage on a felony charge of trafficking in children. She came to the jail in the company of a bondsman and immediately posted a $2,500 surety bond and a $1,000 cash bond, and was released.
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A probable-cause affidavit alleges that Banks told the prospective adoptive parents Jan. 13 that they could be allowed to adopt a unborn child another woman was carrying in exchange for a car. Banks told them that the car should be worth at least $3,000 to $3,500, the affidavit states.
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more at Joplin Globe link above

Excellent and thorough info also from Kathee Baird's The Crime Scene blog, including the possibility that this wasn't a first-time occurrence:

Jasper County Woman Charged With Child Trafficking For Attempting To Trade Newborn For Car
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When the baby was born on March 10th, Banks, who was at a Joplin hospital with a couple from Florida who wanted to adopt the baby, was taken into custody but released after 24 hours pending the filing of formal charges.

Captain Derek Walrod says, "This isn't the woman's first child. We can't account for one that should be in the home. We are looking into allegations that she may have given another baby up for adoption. If that's true, we want to make sure it was done legally."
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much more at link above, with booking photo

I remember hearing about the first - at least that I'd read about - of these "baby for car" cases, back in the '70s; Elvis Costello included a reference to it in his great song "Less Than Zero":

He said he heard about a couple living in the USA
He said they traded in their baby for a Chevrolet
Let's talk about the future, now we've put the past away

Ah well. The past is still with us, again and again.
 
"To teach him he's alive before he wishes he was dead":(

Let me look for that granny who tried to sell the baby in Florida for a car. We definately have a thread. Way after the 70's. More like 2010.

Ummmmmm, police are looking into weather the last baby was adopted legally?:waitasec:Ya think?:waitasec: Lord willing both these babies will be O.K.

It's amazing to me that people think they can just swap children. Newborns. Infants. Nooooooooo that's illegal people.
 
What in the world is going on with these people's mind? Trading a baby for a car. Do people NOT value life anymore? This makes me sad.
 
"She came to the jail in the company of a bondsman and immediately posted a $2,500 surety bond and a $1,000 cash bond, and was released."

So ya could have put at least a down payment on a car, "Grams!!!" This is disgusting! Who was this unnamed woman giving birth -- she consented to this?? Grrrrr!
 

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