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An Alabama woman charged in last month’s hot-car death of a 3-year-old boy failed to appear in court on Monday.
WBRC reported that Kela Stanford, who is free on $30,000 bail, was not in court for a first call. Stanford, 54, was a transport driver for The Covenant Services — which is contracted by the Department of Human Resources — when she allegedly left Ke’Torrius Starkes Jr. in a vehicle for five hours on July 22.
Stanford reportedly left Starkes in the car after picking him up from daycare to have a supervised visit with his father at a DHR building in Bessemer. Instead of taking him back to daycare, Stanford allegedly picked up food for her family and stopped to get tobacco. Stanford reportedly then went home — leaving the toddler in the vehicle.
Starkes was discovered unresponsive in the car after his foster mother called looking for him.
In a recorded call shared by Starkes’ biological father, Stanford allegedly claimed she got “sidetracked” and left his son in the car.
“I got called and said I didn’t have a case, I said in my head, ‘Well I’m done for the day I can go home,’” she says. “Instead of going to the daycare, I came home. And I forgot he was back there. I am so sorry.”
Days later, Stanford was charged with leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle. WBRC reported that another hearing is scheduled for next month. If Stanford misses it, a warrant will be issued for her arrest.
[Feature Photo: Birmingham Police; Facebook]