A mother and son who were spared jail time by pleading guilty to incest say they'll do anything to be together, despite threats of prison time.
Monica Mares and her son, Caleb Peterson, from New Mexico, fell in love after reconnecting on Facebook 18 years after she gave him up for adoption, reported The Daily Mail.
They told the Daily Mail they've gone public on their love to raise awareness about Genetic Sexual Attraction (GSA) – a connection shared between two close family members.
Some of their other bold exclamations of love include Ms Mares' admission that she'd surrender her eight other children if she can be with her son, who she named Carlos at birth. She also says she'd move from their home in Clovis, to a more accepting town where incest isn't illegal.
The two met at Christmas in 2015, and begun a sexual relationship soon after. An arrest followed two months later.
A neighbour alerted authorities to the relationship, which is considered a fourth degree felony in New Mexico. They were released on bail six months later and warned to stay away from each other -which proved problematic for the couple who lived together.
The pair was sentenced to three years of probation, half of which is supervised. They were not imprisoned because they had no earlier convictions and receiving treatment needed to be a priority.
At the time of their arrest, some of Mares' other children – Caleb's half siblings – even called Peterson Dad.
The 20-year-old says he never felt like his birth mother was really his mother, and realised he was smitten a week after they met.
"I can't plan who I fall in love with," he says.
But despite the constant threats of being locked up for loving her son, the two are committed to being together.
"It is every bit worth it," Mares added.
"If they lock me up for love, then they lock me up. There is no way anybody could pull us apart, and I really do love him."
Newshub.
