BLOOMINGTON - County Clerk Peggy Ann Milton said Wednesday she is ready for her trial to begin Aug. 15 on charges of theft and official misconduct.

"I'm keeping my chin up and trusting that the truth will be revealed. I am trusting in the Lord," Milton said after a hearing to complete final details for the trial.

Milton is accused of stealing the labor of the worker and the county property. Prosecutors say she had an employee of her office pick up her child and used county-purchased stamps for a charitable event.

Milton has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Defense lawyer Lee Smith filed a motion Wednesday asking that the jury be barred from seeing certain evidence, including a letter of resignation from an employee of Milton's office that contained allegations of wrongdoing involving Milton.

"The letter itself was the trigger for the actual investigation," special prosecutor David Rands told the court.

Rands said some information contained in the letter from Denise Czario may be part of the state's case but the letter will not be introduced as evidence during the trial.

Rands and Smith declined to disclose specifics about how the resignation letter came to the attention of investigators.

Judge Stephen Pacey said he will begin jury selection with questions to a group of about 40 jurors. Among the questions the judge will pose will involve the exposure potential jurors have had to news coverage of the case, said Pacey.