Police arrest Surprise woman who gave birth in local hotel room

A Surprise woman who gave birth in a Youngtown motel was released from the hospital Thursday and arrested for probation violation, police said.

The 2-day-old infant was taken into child protective custody. Amber Searles was booked into the Fourth Avenue Jail in Phoenix, said Youngtown Police Chief Kim Johnson.

Johnson said Searles had a warrant for her arrest from Glendale and has a criminal history, including 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 refused for several minutes. Villareal was arrested and booked into Fourth Avenue Jail on drug possession charges.