Free baby Craigslist post was a 'joke'

CLINTON, Miss., March 1 (UPI) -- Police in Mississippi said a Craigslist posting offering a baby boy free for the taking was "a bad practical joke" by a high school student.

Clinton Police Chief Don Byington said officers tracked the cellphone number in the posting to an 18-year-old Clinton High student and discovered a friend of the teenager had created the advertisement as "a bad practical joke," The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, reported Thursday.

Byington said the teenager's phone number was used in the posting without his permission. He said the prankster took the baby picture used on the site from a Google image search.

"We've talked to everyone involved, and we are consulting with the district attorney's office to see if there are any charges to be brought," Byington said. "We are exploring that."