Woman Allegedly Hands Baby To Couple, Says She 'Doesn't Want It'
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - A couple dropped a baby girl off at a fire station in Lakewood on Tuesday morning after they say a woman handed the child to them in a Walmart parking lot.
Emergency officials said the child was a newborn and was in good condition. They said the woman told the couple she didn't want the baby anymore.
The West Metro Fire station is located at 14th and Lamar Street.
"They seemed to be concerned about the health of the baby, but also they wanted to get the baby into someone's hands that could care for it," Kody Beinlich with West Metro Fire said. "They said that they had no relation to the baby at all or no knowledge of what had happened."
The baby was taken to a nearby hospital and is said to be in great condition, very healthy and just a few hours old.
In a prepared statement, the West Metro Fire chief shared information about the Colorado Safe Haven for Newborns law, but it's not clear if the law applies in this case:
In April 2000, The Colorado General Assembly passed the Colorado Safe Haven for Newborns law. Colorado criminal law states that abandoning a baby is punishable by up to 26 years in prison. The Safe Haven law provides an affirmative defense against prosecution if a parent relinquishes the baby, unharmed, at a hospital or fire station within 72 hours after birth.
Lakewood police are investigating the case. If it was the mother or the grandparents who handed the baby to the firemen, they won't face charges. If a mother handed the baby off to strangers in the parking lot, she could face abandonment charges.
Police told CBS4 they are looking at surveillance video from the store as part of their investigation. There are 15 different cameras on top of the Walmart building.
Since Colorado passed the Safe Haven for Newborns law in 2000, 35 babies have been safely relinquished. All 50 states have a similar law and more than 2,000 babies have been saved across the nation.
