A Texas dad allegedly claimed he was motivated by feelings of overwhelming anxiety when he made the decision to abandon his infant daughter in a dumpster outside a restaurant, according to court records.
Anferne Gray, 28, has been charged with one count of child abandonment in connection with the case, jail records indicate.
He also faces three assault-related charges for an alleged attack on the baby's mom in the incident.
It's unclear if he entered pleas.
On Monday, Gray allegedly told his daughter's mother he was going to leave their infant at a fire station. Instead, he allegedly ditched the child next to a Pasadena, Texas motel pool for about 20 minutes, before returning, court documents stated, according to KTRK-TV.
"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" for about three or four hours, a Harris County court magistrate accused, KHOU-TV reported.
Police initiated a missing persons investigation after the baby's mom called 911 when she realized Gray did not drop their daughter off at a fire station, according to KPRC-TV.
Authorities did not elaborate on the baby's condition.
Gray is due back in court Wednesday.
