HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) _ A federal judge has postponed the public corruption trial of Lake Station's former mayor, his wife and stepdaughter.

Tuesday's ruling means Keith Soderquist, Deborah Soderquist and her daughter, Miranda Brakley, will now stand trial on Feb. 1. 

The ruling came after defense attorneys urged the judge to reject prosecutors' request to present evidence allegedly showing that Keith Soderquist tried to abolish Lake Station's City Court to cover up Brakley's alleged theft of bond money.

The (Munster) Times reports (http://bit.ly/1Mc2noZ) Brakley is accused of embezzling more than $16,000 in bond money posted on behalf of individuals arrested in Lake Station from 2010 and 2012 when she was a City Court deputy clerk.

The Soderquists are charged with being accessories after the fact to Brakley's alleged theft and structuring a financial transaction.