BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —

The criminal case involving the death of a boy after being left in a hot car in Birmingham is moving forward.

A preliminary hearing was held Wednesday for Kela Stanford.

Stanford, a former Alabama Department of Human Resources contracted worker, is accused of leaving 3-year-old Ke'torrius Starkes Jr. in a hot car for hours, resulting in his death in August.

A Jefferson County judge ruled that probable cause exists to believe that Stanford committed the charged crime and the case was bound over to a grand jury.

A wrongful death lawsuit has also been filed, with Stanford among those named.

Stanford was released on a bond of $30,000.

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