Officials from the Williams County Elections Board have set a preliminary date for a hearing on the candidacy of Sheriff, Steve Towns.

Towns was certified by the elections board back in October for the March, 2020, primary ballot but since then, his candidacy has been thrown into question after his conviction back in November.

Towns was convicted in Bryan Municipal Court for disseminating confidential information about a child abuse case, and according to Ohio Revised Code, a candidate for sheriff is disqualified from the ballot, if convicted of a first-degree misdemeanor.

A potential date of a hearing is yet to be determined, but is recommended to occur 60 days prior to the primary election.