A case involving a former Thorsby High School teacher charged with statutory rape and sodomy of a Chilton County juvenile will now appear before a grand jury in February 2014.

Jennifer Collins McNeill, 39, of Thorsby, appeared in district court at 9 a.m. Wednesday for a preliminary hearing in front of Chilton County Judge Rhonda Hardesty.

Hardesty addressed the courtroom Wednesday morning cautioning the use of social media outlets with facts and situations relating to cases.

Although Hardesty did not pinpoint which case she was referring to, she encouraged everyone to think before sending things such as private text messages.

“You might think things are private but someone will say something to someone else and then it ends up in court,” Hardesty said. “Please be careful and think about information you might disseminate publicly and privately.”

Hardesty asked Chilton County District Attorney C.J. Robinson if he had anything to add before the court took a 15-minute recess.

“This is already a publicized case,” Robinson said referring to McNeill’s case. “You can’t control what is said but you can control your response.”

McNeill remains out on bond as she awaits her appearance before the grand jury in February.

McNeill’s legal representation was unavailable for comment on Wednesday.