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Woman Accused Of Trying To Sell Her Son

SEMINOLE (CBS4) - A Tampa Bay area woman was taken into custody after she tried to sell her 5-year-old son for $2,000.

Jessica Marie Beers, 28, was arrested Saturday and charged with sale of parental rights and violation of probation for grand theft.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said a Tampa couple had been helping Beers financially after meeting the mother through their church. The man told deputies Beers had a prescription drug problem and was leaving the boy with them more and more.

Last week, Beers reportedly offered to sell her parental rights to the couple, but they suspected she wanted the money for drugs. That's when the man contacted deputies and set up a controlled exchange with the mother.

After Beers' arrest, the child was taken into state custody.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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