By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

A woman who has been charged in the February death of her infant son in Alabaster will appear in court in early May after she did not have “an adequate amount of time to prepare for (her) preliminary hearing” set for April 2, according to court documents.

Maylene resident Sommer Nicole Wilford, 22, originally was scheduled to appear in the Shelby County Circuit Court for a preliminary hearing on April 2, but her hearing was rescheduled for May 7 at 8:30 a.m. to allow her to prepare for the court date.

Wilford also likely will undergo a mental evaluation, according to court documents filed by her attorney, Kenneth Moore.

“Defense counsel is attempting to have the defendant evaluated,” read a continuation request Moore filed in court on March 28. “Because of length of incarceration, time arrangements have not been effectuated.”

The Alabaster Police Department arrested Wilford on Feb. 28 after responding to a report of a one-vehicle accident near the intersection of Alabama 119 and Kent Dairy Road.

According to Alabaster Police, when officers arrived on the scene, they found Wilford “standing out side the vehicle that was engulfed in flames.”

“When firefighters extinguished the fire, officers located the remains of an infant, presumed to be 19-month-old Jayden Allen, infant son of Wilford, inside the vehicle,” read a police press release.

After the Alabaster Police Traffic Homicide team investigated the scene, they arrested Wilford and charged her with one count of reckless murder.

On March 7, the Alabaster Police Department announced Wilford was undergoing a toxicology test to determine if alcohol or controlled substances were in her blood at the time of the infant’s death.

Wilford was released from the Shelby County Jail on March 20 after multiple individuals put their properties up as collateral on her $300,000 bond.

In a March 3 motion to reduce Wilford’s $300,000 bond, Moore wrote the current bond amount “far exceeds the recommended bail schedule for the alleged offense.” Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Dan Reeves took no action on Moore’s request to reduce the bond, and Wilford posted her $300,000 bond on March 20.

Reckless murder is a Class A felony. If convicted, Wilford could face between 10 years and life in prison.