Arcola Mayor Fred Burton arrested on several charges, including illegal voting, indictment says

FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- The sitting mayor of Arcola, Texas, spent the night behind bars after being arrested on five separate charges, according to the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office.

Fred Burton has been charged with two counts of illegal voting, misusing personal information, tampering with government records, and fraudulently securing the execution, according to an indictment released Wednesday morning.

Officials did not elaborate on the charges, which stem from offenses committed between 2023 and April of 2026, according to records.

Burton was scheduled to appear in court the following morning.

ABC13 has covered Burton before. He was seen in a heated confrontation with his predecessor, Veeda Williams, in a parking lot following a yearslong feud between the two.

During his fourth-term run for mayor, Arcola police increased his security after a noose was delivered to his office.

ABC13 will have more on this story in the later editions of Eyewitness News, with reporter Brianna Willis covering.