One baby for two beers

It's all about the money: Matthew Brace was placed in a hotel, as part of a programme to house the poor

"For two beers, you can have her," Matthew Brace, the infant's father, told an employee at a Pride gas station and convenience store, Police Chief John Ferrao J said.

The offer
According to police, Brace and his girlfriend entered the gas station on Monday afternoon.

When an employee asked the couple how old their child was, Brace made his offer, then placed his child and her stroller in the employee's truck, police said.

The employee then called the cops, a Chicopee police spokesman said. When officers arrived, Brace was discovered with his daughter behind the gas station near a trash bin. His girlfriend, who has not been charged, was inside the store buying cigarettes.

Poor couple
The couple live at a lodge adjoining the gas station. Brace, his girlfriend and the baby were placed at the hotel by the state as part of a programme to house the indigent.

After his arrest, Brace was sent to Baystate Medical Centre for an evaluation.

At a news conference, Ferraro said Brace's offer to trade his baby for beer was no laughing matter.

"It's not a joke; this is very serious," he said.

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