45-Year-Old Memphis Man Dumped The Newborn Of A 16-Year-Old Girl In A Gas Station Dumpster… She Says "We’ve Been In A Relationship For 3 Years”

" A man was arrested days after a newborn baby was found inside of a dumpster behind a gas station, according to the Memphis Police Department (MPD).

MPD said 45-year-old James Boothe was on his way to the hospital with a 16-year-old girl when the she gave birth. According to court records, the girl told investigators that she'd been in a relationship with Boothe for three years. Boothe took the baby and placed the baby in a dumpster behind a Shell Gas Station on East Shelby Drive, Memphis Police said.

The infant died before officers arrived.

The owner of the nearby gas station told FOX13 that he saw the infant's body in the dumpster. He gave FOX13 surveillance video of a man throwing a trash bag into the dumpster. The store owner believes that man threw the child's body into the dumpster, though no charges were immediately filed, and police could not immediately determine how the child died. The child's mother was taken to the hospital in noncritical condition.

Police did not immediately say how the baby died. Tennessee does have Safe Haven laws which allow someone to surrender an unharmed, newborn baby at a fire station with no questions asked as long as it's within the first two weeks of birth. In such a case, a mother would not face criminal charges. Boothe was originally charged with abuse of a corpse, according to police. Court records show that he was later charged with rape of a child.

A Facebook page belonging to Boothe states that he's lead maintenance at ALCO properties. Boothe is wearing an ALCO shirt in the mugshot released by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office.

Boothe's criminal history dates back decades. Court records show that Boothe was charged with first-degree murder in 1994. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 1995. In 2017, court records show that Boothe was charged with promoting prostitution." - Fox 13 Memphis | Posted by Thrillz