Fred Burton, Arcola’s incumbent mayor, was taken into custody and put into Fort Bend County Jail on five felony charges at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to court records.
Burton is facing a number of allegations, including two counts of illegal voting, one count of misusing official information, one count of tampering with government records with the intent to mislead or injure, and one count of fraudulently obtaining the execution of a document.
The illegal voting charges stem from two separate elections: the June 7, 2025 Arcola Municipal Runoff Election and the April 23, 2026 City of Arcola General, Joint, and Special Election.
The indictments allege that Burton supported, urged, or failed to prevent non-eligible voters from voting despite knowing they were ineligible.
The last three charges stem from his time as mayor in 2023.
Burton allegedly used his position as mayor to reveal non-public information about a competitive city contract to another individual for a “non-governmental purpose.”
He is also accused of preparing, presenting, or utilizing a fake government estimate for the Arcola Food Court Project.
According to the most recent charge, Burton coerced two council members into signing a city finance document worth $30,000 to $150,000 without their knowledge.
Burton won the 2026 Arcola mayoral election by 22 votes over former Mayor Veeda V. Williams.
Williams wrote on Facebook on Wednesday morning, “I think what today’s headline illustrates is that people matter, and leadership should always be held accountable to those whom they serve.”
Burton’s office has declined to respond.
During his tenure as mayor of Arcola, he has been involved in a number of contentious debates.
Most notably, court disputes with Councilwoman Ebony Sanco in 2024. The Houston Landing discovered that he spent nearly $8,000 in public monies to engage a private investigator to inquire into Sanco’s residency.
According to the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office, Burton appeared in front of a magistrate court. His bonds were set on Wednesday. They were set at $25,000 for each allegation of illegal voting, $20,000 for the abuse of official information charge, $20,000 for the fraud charge, and $15,000 for tampering with government records.
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