By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

COLUMBIANA – A 23-year-old Maylene woman who has been charged with allegedly causing the 2014 death of her infant son is set to appear in court in late February after her Nov. 2 court date was continued.

The Alabaster Police Department arrested Sommer Nicole Wilford, who lists an address in the 100 block of Carriage Circle in Maylene, and charged her with one count of reckless murder on Feb. 28, 2014, 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 of the Feb. 28 crash, they found Wilford “standing outside the vehicle that was engulfed in flames.” After Alabaster firefighters extinguished the fire, they discovered the body of 19-month-old Jayden Allen inside the vehicle.

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.

Although she was originally scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 2, Circuit Court Judge Dan Reeves agreed to reschedule the hearing until Feb. 23 at 8:30 a.m. after Wilford’s attorney, L. Kenneth Moore, had a scheduling conflict with the original date.

In September 2014, a court-ordered drug test revealed Wilford was pregnant. Following his standard procedure for those who arrive late to their court hearings, Reeves ordered Wilford to be transported to the Shelby County Jail to take a drug test. The test results were negative for drugs, but revealed Wilford is pregnant.

In April, Reeves ordered Wilford to take random drug and alcohol screenings at the Shelby County Work Release Facility while she is out on bond awaiting trial.

In his motion requesting random drug and alcohol tests be added as a condition of Wilford’s bond, Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Bradley wrote Wilford “is alleged to have been under the influence of both drugs and alcohol” at the time of the infant’s death

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