Following allegations that he didn’t want to take care of his little daughter, a 28-year-old father in Texas was taken into custody and left her in a dumpster behind a restaurant.
Citing court records obtained by Law&Crime, Anferne Gray made his formal court appearance on Tuesday, February 12, while sporting a Nirvana T-shirt. He was charged with felony child abandonment and aggravated violence.
It is claimed that Gray attacked the child’s mother, which led to the aggravated assault accusation. He also faces one count of assault on a family member with a prior conviction and assault on a family member causing obstruction to respiration.
In the criminal complaint that was submitted to the Harris County District Court on July 22, 2024, it is stated that Gray “intentionally” abandoned the infant “in an enclosed dumpster area behind a restaurant,” thereby having care and control over the child without authorization.”
Prosecutors claimed that because the youngster was left “unattended for three to four hours,” doing so exposed the child to “an unreasonable risk of harm.” Additionally, Gray is accused in the affidavit of neglecting to transport the infant to an approved emergency infant care provider.
According to courtroom footage obtained by Houston CBS affiliate KHOU, Gray appeared in court on Tuesday for a probable cause hearing during which the authorities offered additional details regarding the case.
According to a county magistrate judge, Gray allegedly left his daughter alone beside a motel pool in Pasadena, Texas, on Monday for roughly twenty minutes before coming back.
During the hearing, the judge stated, “Then you picked up the child, walked about 1,000 feet to a nearby restaurant where you allegedly left the baby inside of a dumpster enclosure. You left the child unattended there for three to four hours.”
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The youngster apparently survived after being taken to a hospital for treatment, though it was first unclear how seriously injured she was. When the mother learned that Gray had not taken the infant to a fire station as he had promised, she reportedly contacted 911, and officers from the Houston Police Department came to the scene and started looking for the child.
In lieu of a $100,000 bond, Gray is presently being held at the Harris County Jail. He is not allowed to communicate in any way with his daughter or the child’s mother in the event that he gets freed.
His next court date is set for this coming Wednesday.
