LANCASTER – A Lancaster couple pleaded no contest Friday to felony attempted child abandonment for trying to give away their children, possibly in exchange for money or drugs.

A no contest plea has essentially the same legal effect as a guilty plea.

Under a plea agreement, Vincent Calogero, 38, and Sarah Nilson, 32, will be required to complete one-year drug-abuse and parenting programs. If they successfully complete the programs, don’t break any laws and abide by court orders, the felony could be reduced to a misdemeanor, according to prosecutors.

Calogero and Nilson were arrested Dec. 14 after deputies responded to the 100 block of Avenue J-8 on a report of possible child abuse, according to the sheriff’s department. Sheriff’s officials said the couple “had been attempting to give and/or sell their children in exchange for money or drugs.”

Their sons, aged 1 and 2, have been placed in the custody of the county Department of Children and Family Services.

Prosecutors said the couple offered the boys to several strangers. They also kept the children in “unsafe conditions,” according to the District Attorney’s Office.

The couple are due back in court June 27, 2019, to determine if they successfully completed the mandated programs.

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