By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

COLUMBIANA – A Shelby County grand jury will decide if it will uphold charges against a 25-year-old Alabaster woman who has been charged with allegedly causing brain damage to her infant son.

Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Dan Reeves bound a felony charge of aggravated child abuse against Caitlin Gregory Lunceford over to a grand jury on Sept. 24.

During its “next available session,” the grand jury will review the details of the case, and will determine if it will uphold the charge against Lunceford.

The Alabaster Police Department arrested Lunceford on Jan. 23 and charged her with aggravated child abuse, a Class B felony.

According to her arrest warrant, Lunceford allegedly did “strike and/or shake” her child, who was about 2 months old and in her care at the time of the incident. The warrant claimed Lunceford caused “brain damage” to the infant.

In February, Lunceford requested a previous court order denying her contact with her child be lifted, and requested she be allowed supervised visitation for one hour three nights per week. According to court documents, Reeves was scheduled to rule on Lunceford’s request to lift the no contact order, but as of Sept. 25, no ruling had been entered on the matter.

Along with the order requesting supervised visitation, Lunceford’s attorneys, Barry and Lara McCauley Alvis, also filed the results of a polygraph test Lunceford took on Feb. 19 with Sprayberry Polygraph Investigations.

During the test, the polygraphist, Jesse Sprayberry, asked Lunceford if she caused any of the infant’s injuries, if she deliberately injured the child in any way or if she ever lost her temper and injured the child. Lunceford answered “no” to all three questions, according to Sprayberry.

In a motion filed on Sept. 15, Lunceford’s attorneys, Barry and Lara Alvis, again requested Lunceford be granted supervised visitation with the child, claiming “The failure of the child to spend time with its mother can create significant long-term adverse consequences with the child.”

“The mother is requesting supervised visitation with her father who is a retired Marine and is ready, willing and able to supervise said visitation or any other suitable person,” read the Sept. 15 motion.