State Contract Worker Charged In Death Of Alabama Toddler In Foster Care Who Was Left In Hot Car

An Alabama statement worker was arrested and criminally charged successful relationship to nan decease of a toddler who was near for hours wrong a basking car, prosecutors said Friday.

Kela Stanford, 54, is accused of 1 count of leaving a kid aliases an incapacitated personification unattended successful a centrifugal conveyance resulting successful superior beingness injury, according to nan Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office.

If convicted, Stanford could look betwixt 2 and 20 years successful prison.

"This is simply a unspeakable calamity that was wholly avoidable and unnecessary," according to a statement. from nan DA.

Ke’Terrious Starkes Jr., a 3-year-old from Bessemer, was pronounced dormant July 22 aft he was recovered successful a car successful nan 1500 artifact of Pine Tree Drive successful Birmingham, metropolis constabulary said.

Ke’Terrious was successful nan foster attraction strategy and had been picked up from time attraction by a statement worker of nan authorities Department of Human Resources for a scheduled sojourn pinch his father, officials said.

After that visit, Ke’Terrious was expected to beryllium driven backmost to time attraction but ended up astatine nan suspect's location and near wrong nan car, constabulary said.

Police person told nan boy’s family that he was successful that car for 5 hours, nan child's aunt Brittney Debruce said this week.

Stanford had regularly driven nan boy to and from scheduled, supervised visits, truthful location should person been nary confusion, according to Debruce.

It wasn't instantly clear Friday day if Stanford had hired a defense lawyer to speak connected her behalf.

She was booked into custody Friday greeting earlier posting a $30,000 enslaved for release, jailhouse records showed. Stanford did not instantly return a connection near connected her publically listed telephone number Friday afternoon.