A Texas mayor who was arrested on five felony charges linked to illegal voting is still listed as mayor of his small town.
Fred Anthony Burton, 68, the mayor of Arcola, a city of just over 2,000 people about 22 miles south of Houston, was arrested July 15 on two counts of illegal voting, one count of misuse of official information, one count of fraudulently securing the execution of a document, and one count of tampering with a government record, according to NBC affiliate KPRC-TV.
The charges are linked to a municipal runoff election in June 2025 and a special election held in April, according to the report.
A grand jury indictment cited by KPRC alleged Burton helped, encouraged or failed to prevent three people whom he knew were ineligible to vote from casting a ballot. The three remaining charges stem from Burton’s previous term as mayor in 2023, including allegations that he disclosed non-public information about a $15,000 city contract bid and presented a false estimate tied to the Arcola Food Court Project.
Part of the indictment also alleges that Burton caused two members of the Arcola City Council to sign or execute official documents without their consent. Bond was set at a combined $105,000 across all five charges.
Despite his arrest, Burton remained as mayor on the official Arcola city website as of Thursday morning. The site read “Fred A. Burton. Coming soon” and identified his term as spanning from May 2026 through May 2028.
The Christian Post reached out to the city for comment Wednesday.
Burton, who was elected mayor in 2018 and reelected in 2020 and 2022, was ousted by challenger Veeda Williams in 2024. In May, he won the seat again after topping Williams by 22 votes.
On May 3, he celebrated his daughter’s own election victory after she won a seat on the Arcola City Council, writing, “We made history last night to become the first father and daughter to run for public office and won. Thank you all for your prayers and support.”
Following his arrest last week, Williams responded to Burton’s arrest by calling the city to a higher standard when it comes to public officials.
In a July 15 post, Williams wrote: “I know many won’t believe me, but honestly, I don’t find [a lot] of joy in what has transpired in our City. In many ways, this is the saddest that I’ve ever felt for Arcola. Because at the end of the day, I want our community to grow, to progress and to prosper beyond the CONSTANT DRAMA that keeps dragging us back down.”
It wasn’t immediately clear when Burton was due to make his next court appearance.
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