A Lancaster father and mother entered no contest pleas Friday for attempting to give their children away, which led public officials hoping to find additional witnesses to reach out to Santa Clarita residents.
Deputy District Attorney Dianne Hong said Vincent Paul Calogero, 38, and Sarah Elise Nilson, 32, each entered a plea to one felony count of attempted child abandonment prior to a scheduled preliminary hearing in a Lancaster courtroom.
The couple is scheduled to be sentenced June 27, 2019 in an Antelope Valley courtroom.
Calogero and Nilson have been ordered to finish one-year programs for drug abuse and parenting, district attorney officials said. If they complete the programs, obey all laws and follow all family court orders before sentencing, the charge may be reduced to a misdemeanor count.
On Dec. 14, Calogero and Nilson offered their two boys, ages 1 and 2, to several strangers, Hong said. The defendants also kept the children in unsafe conditions, she added.
Calogero and Nilson were arrested about 4:30 p.m. Dec. 14, which led to detectives issuing and circulating a bulletin asking for the public’s help if they recognized the suspects or if anyone witnessed them abusing children or offering to ‘give away their children’ or sell them for drugs or money.
