Ad offering child for $1,000 was a joke

MANITOWOC, Wis. — Manitowoc police say a Craigslist ad offering to sell a 4-year-old boy for $1,000 turned out to be a teenager’s joke.

Authorities took the ad seriously when it was placed last week. By the time police got a call from a woman about the ad, it had been removed from Craigslist. But the caller helped detectives contact the suspect.

Detectives became even more concerned when the suspect said the boy had been sold for $1,200 but he would be able to acquire another child.

Police traced the computer to Roncalli High School and a 17-year-old student who posted the ad in class as a joke.

Police say the boy apologized. The Herald Times Reporter says police issued a $681 ordinance citation for disorderly conduct rather than a criminal charge.