Ex-mayor charged with child sex crimes after allegations on Facebook, Texas city says

The former mayor of a Texas city who resigned shortly after winning re-election has been charged with child sex crimes.

Scott Saunders Jr. — who was mayor of Smithville, a small town southeast of Austin — was arrested Monday on two charges of sexual assault of a child and a charge of indecency with a child, officials say.

Early this year, allegations of “possible indiscretions” involving Saunders surfaced on Facebook, officials say.

“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,” the city said in a statement.

According to court records, the incidents happened in June 2010 and May 2015. The city did not release additional information about the charges.

Saunders was unopposed in the November 2020 election. He resigned in January, saying he was “mentally, physically, financially and emotionally exhausted,” KXAN reported.

“I’m a young guy with a young family and a new business just trying to make it,” Saunders said, according to the news outlet. “My hectic work schedule is not only impacting my family but also my mental and physical health.”

This story was originally published May 10, 2021 at 7:32 PM with the headline "Ex-mayor charged with child sex crimes after allegations on Facebook, Texas city says."