Contract Driver Indicted in Hot Car Death

0:00A 55-year-old contract driver, for Alabama's Department of Human Resources, faces new charges in the hot-car death of a three-year-old boy last summer. Kela Stanford got indicted by Jefferson County Grand Jury for leaving little Catoria Starks Jr. unattended in her vehicle, where he died. After nearly five hours in the heat on July 23, 2025, Stanford was supposed to drop the kid off at daycare after a family visit, but Coredoc say she headed home instead. She got arrested back then with a $30,000 bond, working as a DHR driver, handling child transport. The child's family hid back hard, filing a wrongful death suit against both Stanford and the department. Folks are calling for big changes in how these kids get supervised, especially after audio leaked of Stanford apologizing to the family. Fast forward to last month, on March 23, that Grand Jury indictment mistakenly listed no bond, so she got re-arrested. But a judge quickly fixed it, reinstating the original $30,000 bond and cutting her

1:02loose. She's presumed innocent until proven guilty, and this mix-up highlights the messy side of these high-stakes cases, keeping everyone watching close as. It unfolds. You've been listening to Birmingham News today, AI-powered local news.