WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A federal magistrate judge has agreed to hear arguments from a former Kansas county official who wants to keep potential employers from hearing about pending federal theft charges against him.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Humphreys set a Feb. 15 hearing on
the request by Steven E. Collier, the former public works director
in Barber County. Collier wants the judge to remove a condition of
his pretrial release that requires his probation officer to make
sure his supervisors are aware of the case against him.

His attorney contends that if the condition remains, Collier
will become destitute.

An 11-count federal indictment charges Collier and his wife,
Diana, of theft, interstate transportation of stolen property and
sale of stolen property involving trucks, a bulldozer, a tractor
and other items from the county.