Surprise woman, newborn test positive for drugs

A Surprise woman and the infant she gave birth to in a Youngtown motel tested positive for methamphetamine and cocaine, police said.

Youngtown Police Chief Kimberly Johnson said the baby has been taken into child protective services.

In addition, Johnson said the baby will be placed with foster parents who know how to care for drug-addicted infants. The mother, Amber Searles, was booked into Fourth Avenue Jail in Phoenix for violation of probation.

Searles had a warrant for her arrest from Glendale and a criminal history of aggravated assault.

About 10 a.m. Wednesday, police discovered a placenta and bloody towels along with drugs and drug paraphernalia in a room at the Motel 6 on Grand Avenue in Youngtown.

Johnson said Youngtown officers received a phone call from hotel management, saying Searles and boyfriend Jimmy Villareal had been staying at the motel for almost a month.

Searles and Villareal were driving back to the Motel 6, when officers arrested them near a Youngtown restaurant, police said.

When they stopped the couple, officers tried to check on the baby, but the mother reportedly refused for several minutes. Villareal was arrested and booked into Fourth Avenue Jail on drug possession charges.