With the trial date for Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely approaching next month, both state prosecutors and defense attorneys are seeking to either include or exclude certain pieces of evidence or protect them from public viewing.

Blakely was indicted back in August on a 13-count indictment that accuse the sheriff of taking money from his campaign account and from Limestone County funds.

On January 29, Limestone County Circuit Judge Pride Tompkins denied the defense’s Motion to File Certain Pretrial Motions Under Seal.

On Friday, February 7, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall filed a Notice of Intent to Introduce Evidence along with four Motions in Limine to Exclude certain pieces of evidence.

In the Notice of Intent, Marshall requests three pieces of evidence to be allowed into the trial: two instances in which Marshall states Blakely requested wire transfers from Limestone County Sheriff’s Office employees and one where he reportedly took a check intended to go to the Limestone County Sheriff’s Reserve, Inc. (SRI).

In one case, Marshall said Blakely was in Las Vegas with other employees on December 8, 2014 and he “called Limestone County Jail secretary and told her to wire him $500,” which she did. He then “picked up the money at the Western Union location at the Palace Station Casino...on that same date.”

Back on January 26, 2013, he called former Limestone Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Randy King and “asked King for a loan of $500. King then wired Blakely $500 of his personal money...Blakely picked up the money at the Western Union location at the Horseshoe Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, on that same date.”

The third instance revolves around an agreement between the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the SRI in which a representative of the TVA agreed that TVA “would compensate SRI $1,000 for additional use of the easement” on the property used for the Limestone County Sheriff’s Rodeo.

The court document states that “Blakely signed the agreement with TVA showing the payee as ‘Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely’ instead of the true property owner, Limestone County Sheriff’s Reserve, Inc...Ten days later, Blakely deposited the check into his personal bank account.”

Marshall argued in his motion that these past examples will help better prove the prosecution’s case in court.

The documents were filed around 3 p.m. Friday afternoon and so far, Blakely’s attorneys have not filed a response.

The trial is scheduled to start on March 9, 2020.