Pregnant Alabama teen charged with raping underage father of her baby

Mekenzie Leigh Guffey
Mekenzie Leigh Guffey

A pregnant 19-year-old Hollywood, Ala., woman is charged with rape after she signed up for state assistance and listed a 14-year-old boy as her baby's father.

Soon-to-be-mother Mekenzie Leigh Guffey told Hollywood police she and the boy met through a mutual friend at a McDonald's in nearby Scottsboro in December and the two had sex multiple times in her car in a remote area near the Tennessee River known as the "sand barge," Hollywood police Chief Jason Hepler said Tuesday.

photo Mekenzie Leigh Guffey

Hepler said Guffey even stayed at the boy's home for at least a couple of weeks since December, apparently with his parents' permission.

The chief, who has a 13-year-old son, said an investigation is continuing into the boy's parents' involvement.

Guffey, now between five and six weeks pregnant, is charged with second-degree rape, second-degree sex abuse, enticing a child for immoral purposes, traveling to meet a child for unlawful sex acts, possession of child pornography and dissemination of child pornography, Hepler said.

The two pornography-related counts stem from a video police found on Guffey's cell phone that depicted the boy in a state of undress. Hepler said Guffey sent the video to the boy's cell phone, leading to the dissemination charge.

Guffey was freed from the Jackson County Jail on Monday after posting a $25,300 bail bond.

A phone number could not be found for Guffey, and attempts to reach her through a Facebook account were unsuccessful.

Hepler said the relationship came to the attention of law enforcement when Guffey sought state assistance and while filling out forms listed the 14-year-old as the father of her baby. That information was relayed to Alabama Department of Human Resources officials who, in turn, got in touch with police.

"She was bragging to everybody that she was pregnant by this boy," Hepler said. "She thought it was greatest thing, and then she found out we were involved and it was like 'Oh, no.'"

Guffey's Facebook page erupted with posts from people debating the situation amongst themselves. Guffey, who doesn't enter into the ongoing debate on her page, also posted an image of what appears to be a positive pregnancy test, switched her status to "soon to be mommy" and posted numerous times happily professing her excitement about becoming a mother.

Under Alabama law, second-degree rape involves a victim younger than 16 who has sex with an adult more than two years older. The potential sentence in a conviction on the charge ranges between two and 20 years in prison and can carry a fine of up to $30,000.

Officials in the Jackson County Circuit Court Clerk's office said Guffey has a court appearance set for April 19 at 2 p.m.

Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.

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