Worker of the state accommodated with charges in the unfortunate demise of an Alabama toddler under foster care, who perished in a sweltering automobile.
In a shocking turn of events, Kela Stanford, an Alabama contract worker, was arrested and criminally charged for leaving a 3-year-old child unattended in a motor vehicle, resulting in serious physical injury. The incident occurred in Birmingham, Alabama, on an unspecified date.
Ke'Terrious Starkes Jr., the young victim, was on a scheduled visit with his father at the time of the incident. Tragically, Ke'Terrious was later pronounced dead on July 22.
According to police reports, after the scheduled visit, Ke'Terrious was supposed to be driven back to day care but ended up at the suspect's home and was left inside the car for five hours, as reported by the child's aunt Brittney Debruce.
The incident took place in the 1500 block of Pine Tree Drive in Birmingham. Ke'Terrious was picked up from day care by a contract employee of the state Department of Human Resources, who was later identified as the suspect.
Stanford, the suspect, had regularly driven Ke'Terrious to and from supervised visits, according to Debruce. However, on this fateful day, she failed to ensure the child's safety, leading to the tragic outcome.
Jail records showed that Stanford was booked into custody on Friday morning and posted a $30,000 bond for release. It was not immediately clear if Stanford had hired a defense lawyer to speak on her behalf. Stanford did not immediately return a message left on her publicly listed phone number on Friday afternoon.
If convicted, Stanford could face between two and 20 years in prison. The case is still under investigation, and no further updates have been reported as of now. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they become available.
Our thoughts are with Ke'Terrious's family and friends during this difficult time. This tragic incident serves as a painful reminder of the importance of ensuring the safety and well-being of our children, especially in situations where they are under the care of others.
Funding for new child safety measures in vehicles may be a topic of discussion due to the left-unattended case in Birmingham, Alabama. In light of the ongoing investigation into the crime-and-justice incident involving Kela Stanford, the importance of science, health-and-wellness, and general-news reporting on this matter cannot be overstated.
