Free Republic

Fred Burton, the incumbent mayor of Arcola, was arrested and booked into Fort Bend County Jail on five felony charges around 10:30 p.m Tuesday, according to court records. Burton is facing various charges, including two counts of illegal voting, one count of misuse of official information, one count of tampering with government records with intent to defraud or harm, and one count of fraudulently securing the execution of a document. The illegal voting charges come from two different elections — the Arcola Municipal Runoff Election on June 7, 2025, and the April 23, 2026, City of Arcola General, Joint, and...

ARCOLA, Texas — The mayor of a small Texas town is facing several felonies, according to Fort Bend County court records. Mayor Fred A. Burton, 68, is charged with two counts of illegal voting, one count of misuse of official information, one count of fraud and one count of tampering with government records, all of which are felonies. He was arrested Tuesday night, according to the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office. In the illegal voting charges, Burton is accused of telling at least three people to vote in a runoff election while knowing they weren't eligible to do so....