A pregnant woman in northeastern Alabama has been charged with rape after authorities said she wrote on a Medicaid application that a 14-year-old boy was the father of her unborn baby.
Police and the state department of human resources launched an investigation after 19-year-old Mekenzie Leigh Guffey, of Hollywood, Alabama, identified the boy on paperwork for Social Security benefits earlier this month, Hollywood Police Chief Jason Hepler told AL.com.
Workers notified the state human resources agency, which then contacted police.
Guffey was arrested last week and charged with second-degree rape and second-degree sex abuse, along with enticing a child for immoral purposes, traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act, possession of child pornography and dissemination of child pornography, according to reports.
She posted bond and was released from custody earlier this week. It was not immediately clear whether she has an attorney.
Police said Guffey, from Hollywood, a small town east of Huntsville, met the boy through a mutual friend and started a relationship with him late last year, according to AL.com. Police said she would pick up the boy at his home and drive him to a remote area in town for sex.
Hepler, the police chief, told ABC affiliate WAAY that Guffey admitted to having sex with the boy about 20 times since December.
Ultimately, she became pregnant, authorities said.
"She was proud of him being the father until she found out we were going to become involved," Hepler, the police chief, told AL.com.
The chief also said Guffey and the boy had been sending each other nude photos and videos, which resulted in the pornography charge.
Alabama law defines second-degree rape as "sexual intercourse with a member of the opposite sex less than 16 and more than 12 years old; provided, however, the actor is at least two years older than the member of the opposite sex."
If convicted, Guffey could face up to 20 years in prison.
The Washington Post
Sat Mar 18 2017
If convicted, Guffey could face up to 20 years in prison.
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