A 73-year-old man has been arrested in Louisiana after allegedly trying to purchase a 10-month-old girl at a local auction house.
Howell Gene Penton was taken into custody on November 29 in Angie, a town in Washington Parish, following an investigation by the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office and Angie Police Department.
Detectives began investigating the sale of a minor child on November 26 after reports emerged that Penton had solicited a woman at the Angie Auction House to buy her infant daughter.
An undercover operation led to an arrest warrant for Penton, who was detained without incident. The owners of the auction house are cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation.
Further details about the circumstances of the alleged approach have not been released, and the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office has been contacted for additional information.
