Court Orders Hugh Sands To be On Primary Ballot- Rejects Legal Analysis by State’s Attorney

Judge Starwalt ruled that Hugh Sands must be placed on the primary ballot for Sheriff. The Court ruled that Sands had filed the necessary paperwork required under the statutes. The law requires a statement that a candidate is qualified for the office but makes no reference to filing a certificate as argued by the State’s Attorney. The Court also ruled that Sands had met the qualifications for office by his certification as a part-time law enforcement officer and his taking of an equivalency test and waiver given to him by the training board as a part-time officer. The training for part-time and full-time officers is effectively same although the part-time training is spread out over a greater space of time.
A decision here was required before January 14th to have ballots printed.
Jerry Hawker was not present due to health reasons according to his call to Court Administration. Mr. Hawker declined a zoom link and did not request a continuance. He did not file any substantive paperwork beyond his original objection. The Electoral Board was represented by the State’s Attorney’s Office. Jaqueline Lacy was part of the Electoral Board and was present at the original hearing denying Sands a place on the ballot. An Assistant appeared at today’s hearing.