Alorton Clerk and mayoral candidate JoAnn Reed faces four felony charges, which puts her and the voters in an awkward spot.

If Reed is convicted of the charges -- that she snuck a cellphone to her niece, who was being held in the village jail -- she would not be able to serve out her term if elected. Unfortunately, this case might not be decided before the election.

Reed is innocent unless proven guilty. However, the police report outlines compelling evidence if correct. She allegedly slipped her niece a cellphone, who then used it to post updates on her Facebook page. The niece was being held for allegedly attacking a pregnant woman.

According the police report, her niece posted on Facebook: "I'm in jail but auntie snuck me my phone don't tell no 1."

Goodness, did she really think her FB friends would keep such a juicy secret? She might as well have taken out a full-page ad in the newspaper.

The report said the mother of the alleged victim found out about the phone and notified the police. The police then reportedly retrieved the phone from the niece in jail.

We hope for Alorton voters' sake that Reed will have the grace to drop out of the mayoral race. This case is too much of a distraction whatever the ultimate verdict.