Buyer Takes One Look At Used Stroller And Calls Police

 

Reported

Marissa had no idea that something as simple as selling her son’s pram online would turn into a huge police investigation. 

Everything seemed innocent enough. She only wanted to make some extra cash.

But when she was reported to the police for illegal activities, she didn’t know how she was going to get out of this mess.

A Single Mom

Marissa Jones was a single mother to three-year-old, Philip.

Although Philip had come as a complete surprise to Marissa, she still loved her son.

It was tough being a single mom, and with Philip’s father completely out of the picture, Marissa sometimes found it hard to get by on her own. She always needed help.

It Wasn’t Cheap

So when Philip started getting older and finally took his first steps, Marissa was overjoyed.

She could now sell off some of the things he had grown out of.

Although she worked a full-time job, she had a lot of expenses, and taking care of Philip was not cheap. She had to see to his food, diapers, and medical bills all by herself.

Trying To Make Ends Meet

She also had to make sure she had enough money to send little Philip to daycare every day.

It was tough for her, but somebody had to do it.

Most times, Marissa was completely exhausted. But she had some support in the form of her mother and sister. If Marissa wasn’t able to make ends meet at the end of the month, they quickly jumped in to help.

It Takes A Village

As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child, and Marissa was very grateful to her mother and sister.

But she also wanted to try to get by herself, no matter how challenging it was.

But each month, she scraped by and counted every penny she made. But it wasn’t until she figured out a way to make some extra cash on the side.

Selling The Stroller

That’s when Marissa thought about selling her son’s stroller. 

It was in great condition, and she knew she could get a decent price for it.

She posted an ad on a popular online marketplace, and within a few hours, she received several inquiries. Marissa couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw that so many people were interested.

Many Hits

If the stroller was such a hit, what else could she put up for sale, she thought.

Just as she began rummaging through Philip’s older clothes, she received another inquiry about the pram.

If she had known the stroller would be such a hit, she could’ve upped the asking price, she thought. But it was too late for that now, and she began going through the responses.

Another Single Mom

When Marissa had gone through all the inquiries, there was one woman, in particular, who was very interested.

She even added that she was a single mother and the stroller would come in handy to her. 

Marissa called her immediately and asked her if she was still interested in buying the stroller from her.

Old Friends

When they spoke on the phone, Marissa felt like she was talking to an old friend.

They both exchanged stories about the hardships of being single mothers.

It was there that the transaction was finally made, and all Marissa had to do was send the stroller to the address the other mom provided to her.

Sending The Package

Marissa hauled the stroller out of storage and even managed to put it in its original box.

Then it was finally sent off to be mailed to the buyer.

Since she was in Portland, Oregon, and the buyer was in Seattle, Washington, she knew it would be at least a week before the mom would receive it.

A Kind Gesture

Marissa was even kind enough to throw in two sets of baby clothes for the mom as a little gift.

She thought it would be a kind gesture to help out a fellow struggling single mom.

But little did she know how her kind gesture would come back to haunt her. She would not expect to be called by someone asking her about the stroller she had just sold.

Completely Forgot

As the weeks went by, Marissa hadn’t thought about the stroller again.

Philip had kept her life busy, and with having a full-time job, she completely forgot to check whether the mom had received the package intact.

But at the back of her mind, she had hoped she had received it and that everything was going well for her.

The Phone Call

But one day, Marissa received a phone call from a police officer asking about the stroller she had sold.

At first, Marissa thought it was a joke or a scam call, but the officer’s tone was serious.

Marissa was taken aback and wondered what was going on. The officer asked her to come down to the station to answer a few questions regarding the stroller.

The Police Station

Marissa was completely confused and scared as she made her way to the police station.

She had never been in trouble with the law before and had no idea what she was being accused of.

When she arrived at the station, she was asked to sit down in a small room where the officer began to ask her questions about the stroller she had sold.

The Accusation

The officer informed Marissa that the stroller she had sold was stolen property.

The mom, who had bought the stroller, had reported it stolen, and the police had tracked it down to Marissa.

Marissa couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She had no idea that the stroller was stolen, and she had certainly not stolen it herself. She was completely innocent.

The Investigation

The police informed Marissa that they had been investigating the theft of the stroller for months and had finally tracked it down to her.

They wanted to know how she had come to possess the stolen stroller.

Marissa explained that she had bought the stroller from someone, and it was her own property. But the police did not believe her and took her into custody.

In Custody

Marissa was in complete shock as she sat in a cell at the police station.

She had no idea how she was going to get out of this mess. She had been set up and accused of a crime she did not commit.

As she sat in her cell, she thought about her son Philip. What would happen to him if she was found guilty? She couldn’t bear the thought of losing him.

The Court Case

After a few days in custody, Marissa was released on bail.

She had to attend court to answer to the charges of receiving stolen property. She was in a world of trouble, and she couldn’t believe the mess she was in.

Marissa was completely scared and nervous as she stood before the judge. She pleaded her innocence, but the prosecution had a strong case against her.

The Verdict

After a long and stressful court case, the verdict was finally delivered.

Marissa was found guilty of receiving stolen property and was sentenced to six months in jail.

Marissa couldn’t believe what was happening to her. She was on the brink of losing everything – her job, her home, and, most importantly, her son. She was completely alone and devastated.

The Appeal

Marissa refused to accept the verdict and decided to appeal her case.

She hired a new lawyer and began the long and difficult process of appealing the conviction.

The appeal process was long and stressful, but Marissa refused to give up. She knew she was innocent, and she was determined to clear her name.

Recipe For Disaster

She spent hours going over everything with her new lawyer.

On top of that, she had to be a mom to Philip and try to not get fired from her job.

It was all becoming too much for her to handle, and soon she was on the brink of burnout. The stress of the case and the struggle of being a single mom was the recipe for disaster.

A Support System

But she knew she had a good stable support system behind her.

Her mother and sister quickly jumped in to help take care of Philip.

Marissa then had more time to spend on the case to finally clear her name. It was then that she remembered something crucial. She called her lawyer immediately to explain.

All Coming Back To Her

She remembered that she first purchased the stroller online.

Someone was selling it for a really good price, and being a struggling single mom, she jumped at the chance to buy it.

After several back-and-forth chats with the seller, she eventually bought it, and it was sent to her via mail. The stroller was in good condition. It was like it was brand new.

Brand New Stroller

At first, she thought it was strange that the person would sell a brand new stroller, but then she thought that maybe the person was really desperate for the money.

She didn’t question it anymore after that.

But now that she thought about it, it could be that the person who sold the stroller to her had actually stolen it.

All She Wanted

Her lawyer commended her for remembering such crucial information.

He said that it would do wonders for her case.

Marissa breathed a sigh of relief. This could finally be the break she needed. All she really wanted was for this whole mess to go away so that she could go on with her life and be a mom to her son.

The Evidence

During the appeal, Marissa’s lawyer presented new evidence that proved her innocence.

The evidence showed that the stroller had been stolen before Marissa had bought it, and she had no knowledge of the theft.

The judge was impressed with the new evidence and decided to overturn Marissa’s conviction. Marissa was finally free, and she could not wait to get her life back on track.

She Recognized The Stroller

It turned out that when the mom who contacted her for the stroller, recognized that it was the very stroller that was stolen from her a while back.

She thought by buying it back, she could lure Marissa and then call the cops to arrest her.

But in the end, the two moms talked it out and realized that both of them had been duped.

Back To Normal?

Marissa was just glad she could put all of it behind her now.

She and the other mom became friends and even arranged a play date with their two children in the future.

She had a lot to fix in her life. For starters, she had to get back to working full-time and getting everything back to normal. The case had derailed her whole life.

Rebuilding Her Life

Marissa knew that rebuilding her life would not be easy, but she was determined to do it.

She slowly started getting back into everything, and her work and home life became a breeze.

She just wanted to pick up the pieces and move forward. She had learned a lot from this experience, and she knew she was stronger than she ever thought possible.

A New Beginning

She hugged her son tightly, grateful to have him back in her arms.

She was also grateful for the support of her family and friends, who never gave up on her.

Marissa knew that she had a lot of work ahead of her, but she was ready to face whatever challenges came her way. Nothing was going to stop her from living the life she deserved.

Disclaimer: In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.