By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

COLUMBIANA – A former Alabaster resident who has pleaded not guilty to causing brain damage to her infant son in January 2014 is set to appear in Shelby County Circuit Court in late April after her Feb. 2 court date was continued.

Caitlin Gregory Lunceford, who lists an address in the 6900 block of Harpers Dairy Loop in Bessemer and previously listed an address in the 500 block of Windsor Court in Alabaster, entered a plea of not guilty to one count of aggravated child abuse on Dec. 1, according to court records.

A Shelby County grand jury returned a one-count indictment of aggravated child abuse against Lunceford during its October term. Lunceford originally was scheduled to appear in court for a status hearing on Feb. 2, but her hearing was rescheduled until April 27 at 8:30 a.m.

According to Lunceford’s indictment, she allegedly mistreated her infant son, who was about 2 months old and in Lunceford’s care at the time of the incident, by “striking and/or hitting and punching and/or shaking the victim.” Lunceford’s arrest warrant claimed she caused “brain damage” to the infant during the Jan. 11, 2014, incident.

The Alabaster Police Department arrested Lunceford on Jan. 23, 2014, and charged her with aggravated child abuse, a Class B felony. The suspect was released from the Shelby County Jail on a $30,000 bond the day after her arrest.

In February 2014, 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, as of Feb. 3, no ruling had been entered on the matter.

In a motion filed on Sept. 15, 2014, 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.”