DANVILLE — Hugh Sands filed a miscellaneous remedy with the county clerk’s office on Tuesday following his removal from the ballot for Vermilion County Sheriff.
Last week, Sands was removed from the March ballot following a challenge to his ballot requirements by county board member Jerry Hawker.
Sands’ attorney has filed a summons for multiple elected officials: Hawker, Vermilion County State’s Attorney Jaqueline Lacy, Melissa Quick, and Robyn Hefferen.
Sands says Hawker and others are correct in that he has not completed certain training.
“Their basis is I have never been through Illinois basic law enforcement training at the police academy,” Sands said.
However, Sands claims he was granted waivers in previous times due to his experience.
“It was run differently,” Sands said about the training requirements in the late 1990s. “How they did it was, there were certain weekends you had to show up.”
Sands said some, including himself, were granted waivers based on their prior service and training.
“And here’s what happened, they granted some people who worked in our county as part-time patrolmen a waiver,” Sands said. “We’re not going to require anything.”
Sands said the waivers were not based on merit.
“They determined that you had enough training, enough experience, enough education,” Sands said. “However, they wanted to test you, and if you pass the test, you get granted a waiver. You weren’t required to go to the academy. I fell into that group.”
Sands added he legally cannot even enroll in the police academy yet.
“You can’t do that without being sponsored like you as a citizen, can’t enroll in the police academy,” Sands said. “You had to be sponsored by some form of municipality or government.”
If Sands were to be placed back on the ballot and win the votes for sheriff, Sands said he would still not be required to go to the academy, but he would go through other training.
“Obviously, things have changed in 10 years, and there’s some other mandated training that now that they have that they didn’t have when I was in it,” Sands said. “I can’t find anywhere in the law that when you turn in a petition, you have to submit those qualifications. There is nothing that specifically says that.”
Overall, Sands said he felt like the decision had already been made up before the meeting with the board to decide whether or not to remove him.
“When I tried to speak, I got interrupted,” Sands said. “I just felt that that was a very biased group of individuals that sat there in judgment. I believe their decision was already made up, and that’s why I’m appealing it. I think their decisions are wrong, and I would rather have somebody impartial make that decision.”
The decision to put or not to put Sands back on the ballot now remains in judicial review.
Hughs has served in law-enforcement as a correctional officer, and as police-officer for Oakwood, Tilton, and Georgetown. He left the service in 2015.