Danger lurks nearly everywhere and in the most unexpected places. An elderly man from Mississippi stands accused of trying to purchase a 10-month-old baby girl at an auction house in a nearby state. Keep reading for more details about the shocking incident.
Buying Children Used To Be Legal
The idea of buying or selling children is practically unheard of these days. While there is allegedly a black market for adoption, it’s not the same as casually purchasing someone’s kids.
During the Great Depression, some families had no choice but to get money in any way possible. Some children were sold to strangers so their families could survive. However, the practice was later made illegal in the United States. But that didn’t stop one elderly man from trying to buy a toddler from their mother.
Elderly Man Arrested Attempting To Buy 10-Month-Old Baby Girl
A mother was browsing an auction house on November 26 with her 10-month-old baby when a man asked if they could purchase the young child. It happened at the Angie Auction House in Angie, Louisiana. The details of the initial incident are few and far between. However, the man was later arrested.
The Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office took Mississippi resident Howell Penton into custody on November 29. The local police did an undercover investigation into the incident. The 73-year-old man was arrested on the charge of sale of a minor following the investigation.
He was put in jail on $200,000 bond. The elderly man could face up to 10 years in prison if a jury finds him guilty. The man’s intentions weren’t shared by the police. However, social media users assume exactly what he intended to do.
- “DEATH PENALTY AND CHEMICAL CASTRATION!”
- “Usual suspects”
- “Thats disgusting”
- “Immediate Public Execution”
- “Disgusting old man!”
- “Creepo”
- “Please castrate this man and all s*x offenders.”
- “Pulbic hanging!”
- “WTF is wrong with this world”
- “Okay Louisiana, time to put your new law into use.”
Louisiana passed a new law that allows for surgical castration as punishment for s*x crimes. It was signed into law in 2024 by Governor Jeff Landry. The law made Louisiana the first to allow that punishment, but several other states are considering it now, too.
Reporter Shares Harrowing Question About Case
A reporter with WWL-TV in Louisiana shared the mugshot of Howell Penton. In a clip from YouTube, the reporter asked a harrowing question the police are investigating. Was this the elderly man’s first attempt at buying a child? Or is this something he’s done before at the Angie Auction House?
The elderly man is still in jail, but the police are continuing the investigation to find out more details. The cops want to know what exactly happened, if it’s happened before, and how to prevent it from happening again. The shocking case rocked the patrons of the auction house.
The owners of Angie Auction House are reportedly cooperating with police in the investigation. Stay tuned for more details on this shocking incident.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger