A young Pelham woman is facing 27 felonies and 26 misdemeanors after she allegedly tried to pass off the 8-month-old baby boy for whom she was providing day-care services as her own.

Jessica Provencal, 21, of 364 Mammoth Road has been charged with 26 counts of kidnapping, 26 counts of endangering the welfare of a child and one charge of theft by deception, said Pelham police Lt. Gary Fisher, after she allegedly posted an ad on Craigslist seeking day-care services for the baby and actually brought the baby to other sitters’ homes while she was supposed to be watching him a few days a week.

“It’s a parent’s worst nightmare,” said Fisher.

The parents, Cindy and Jim Chok of 24 Longview Circle, released a statement saying they are relieved to have their child back safely and thanked the Pelham Police Department for “their diligence in investigating this matter.”

The statement also warns parents to take greater care in investigating the backgrounds of the sitters they hire, including running criminal background checks and asking for evidence of all the day-care providers’ certifications and qualifications.

“Conducting random, unannounced physical checks of your child when they are being cared for outside of your home would also be helpful. Had we done any of these actions, we would have discovered our sitter was not being forthright with us,” the Choks said in the statement.

Authorities were tipped off by a woman who called Pelham police on Monday, June 2, informing them that Provencal was a babysitter for several families in Pelham and was attempting to pass off the 8-month-old boy as her own.

The woman who called said she knew for a fact that Provencal had never given birth, and told police that she heard Provencal was advertising for a babysitter on Craigslist.

Several people responded to that posting, and Provencal allegedly brought the baby to the homes of unwitting sitters after interviewing them.

“We’re aware of at least three different people that she left the child with,” said Fisher. “They believed that the child belonged to Provencal. We also believe that she interviewed other potential day-care providers that she turned down.”

Pelham police are asking for anyone who has heard from Provencal regarding day care to call the police.

Officers went to Provencal’s Mammoth Road home on Tuesday, June 3, to question her about the baby, who was in her arms when she answered the door and greeted the officers. Upon questioning, according to a police affidavit, Provencal admitted that she told other people the baby was hers. She also admitted to posting on Craigslist for another sitter.

“She explained that she could not watch him every Tuesday and Friday, due to her other babysitting jobs, so she posted the ad. I asked her if (the baby’s) mother was aware of the posting on Craigslist. She stated that (the baby’s) mother was aware and gave her permission to do this,” O’Donnell said in the affidavit.

Provencal also told O’Donnell she had received a response from the Craigslist ad, and that she’d met with and interviewed the woman who responded, hiring her for $50 for Tuesdays and Fridays between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Provencal said she told the woman that the baby was hers.

When asked, she could not produce the last name of the woman she’d hired to care for the baby, according to O’Donnell.

Provencal tried to throw officers off by providing the wrong address and telephone number for the Choks, the affidavit said. After tracking the Choks down and questioning them about their day-care arrangements, officers learned that Provencal had been caring for the baby on Tuesdays and Fridays since December 2007, when the baby was about six weeks old.

Cindy Chok told police she specifically told Provencal that the baby was not to be left with anyone else, and said she was completely unaware of the Craigslist posting. The police assisted the Choks in making arrangements to get the baby out of Provencal’s home immediately, the affidavit said.

After speaking with the woman Provencal hired, police brought Provencal to the police station for questioning on June 3. During the interview, Provencal admitted to leaving the baby with two other individuals besides the one police had already spoken to.

Provencal will answer to her charges in Salem District Court on Monday, June 16, at 8 a.m. She has been released on $2,500 cash bail. Each of the kidnapping charges, Class B felonies, carry maximum sentences of up to seven years. The Class A felonies, endangering the welfare of a child, each carry maximums of seven years or more.

Fisher said Provencal has not been in trouble with Pelham Police before, and that she’s been running a day-care service called “Child Care on the Go” out of her home for several years. Police are still in the midst of tracking down other sitters Provencal may have solicited or other parents who have left their children in her care.

To offer information on this case, call the Pelham Police Criminal Bureau at 635-2411.