State Representative Patrick Sellers wants to increase DHR oversight following hot car death

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — A former DHR contractor has been charged in connection with the death of Ke’Torrious Starkes Jr.  The 3-year-old died after being left in a hot vehicle for five hours last week, according to Birmingham police.

54-year-old Kela Stanford was arrested and booked into the Jefferson County Jail on a Class B felony early Friday morning.

We confirmed with jail officials that she bonded out shortly after 8 a.m.

According to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office, Stanford is charged with leaving 3-year-old Ke’Torrious Starkes Junior unattended in a motor vehicle in a manner that creates an “unreasonable risk of injury or harm.”

District Attorney Danny Carr’s office released a statement which reads:

“This is a terrible tragedy that was completely avoidable and unnecessary. Our condolences go out to Ke’Torrious’s family.”

Birmingham Police said the child was accidentally left inside a vehicle on July 22 while in the care of a third party contracted worker through DHR.

According to the family’s attorney, Courtney French, the child was being transported from daycare to a supervised visit with his father.  When the visit ended at 11:30 that morning, instead of returning the child to daycare, the attorney alleges the worker ran errands and returned home, leaving the child in the parked car.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s office said they were informed by law enforcement that the child was inside the vehicle from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. with the windows up.

We spoke with State Representative Patrick Sellers of Pleasant Grove, who is working on legislation that would require more oversight of DHR when it comes to transporting children.

“Just the idea of having a level of oversight , GPS tracking, checks and balances, especially when transporting children that’s within DHR custody back and forth,” Sellers explained.

The democratic lawmaker said he expects his efforts to garner bi-partisan support in Montgomery.

“Anything we can do to help and to save our children; the most vulnerable of our population, we need to do just that,” Sellers said.

The funeral service for Ke’Torrious Starkes Jr. will be held on Saturday at Sixth Avenue Beulah Baptist Church in Bessemer at 12:30 p.m.

If convicted of the charge, Stanford could face from two up to 20 years behind bars.