AUSTIN, Texas — Scott Saunders Jr., the former mayor of Smithville, has been sentenced to five years on probation.
It comes after Saunders pled guilty to sexual assault charges in May of this year. In May 2021, Saunders was charged in Bastrop County with two counts of sexual assault of a child, as well as indecency with a child. The court determined Saunders was not guilty of one of the counts of sexual assault of a child.
Saunders was also arrested in June 2021 in Fayette County on two charges of sexual assault tied to a March 2012 case.
Saunders has recently registered as a sex offender.
In a statement posted by the City of Smithville, allegations of possible misconduct against Saunders began surfacing on Facebook at the beginning of 2021
"Due to the nature of the allegations and the fact that criminal offenses may have occurred, the information was immediately forwarded to the Texas Rangers for an investigation to eliminate any potential conflict of interest to the city and provide protection for everyone involved," a Facebook statement attributed to Smithville Mayor Joanna Morgan, City Manager Robert Tamble and Police Chief David Repka said at the time.
Saunders resigned from his mayoral office on Jan. 11, 2021, just two months after winning reelection in an uncontested race.