Former Chambers County Administrator Patrick Simms‚ trial for sexual abuse of a child has been continued to April 2018.

Court records show his jury trial was to be held this fall term in front of Judge Ray Martin but was continued to April 30, 2018.

Allegations were made by a mother of a child under 12 years old that Simms molested a child in a vehicle while he was driving in Chambers County Feb. 7, 2015. The child told its mother who told investigators of the Chambers County Sheriff’s Department.

Simms turned himself in Feb. 19, 2015 and is currently out of jail on $100,000 bond.

In a press release issued at the time of the arrest, Chambers County Sheriff Sid Lockhart said Simms was named as the suspect in a case involving sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years old, in an incident that occurred about Feb. 8, 2015.

Simms’ attorney at the time, Skip McCoy, released a statement, saying: “Mr. Simms vehemently denies these atrocious charges. This is nothing but a witch-hunt and Mr. Simms is the victim in this case. Once the truth is told we fully expect Mr. Simms to be exonerated from all charges.”

Simms was indicted on the charge of sex abuse of a child less than 12 years old in Feb. 2016 and Simms entered a plea of not guilty in March of 2016.

Simms once was over all aspects of Chambers County government business and at the time of the allegation of abuse was in a similar position in Etowah County.

Court records show Simms‚ current address in Chambers County near the Tallapoosa County line near Highway 50 in Camp Hill.

Simms has retained attorneys Larry Wade Morris, Taylor Alan Pharr and William Lamar Smith.