BURNET COUNTY, Texas — Burnet County Judge James Oakley has been suspended without pay by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, pending the outcome of criminal investigations against him.
On March 9, Oakley was released on bond after turning himself in to the Lampasas Jail following his indictment on several charges.
Burnet County District Attorney Sonny McAfee told the KVUE Defenders that a grand jury indicted Oakley on March 8 on two counts of abuse of official capacity, one count of evidence tampering and one count of official oppression.
McAfee said the indictments were the result of an investigation by his agency, the Burnet County Sheriff's Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Oakley told KVUE's Senior Reporter Tony Plohetski that the charges stem from two issues.
Oakley explained that the abuse of official capacity charge relates to what he said is his legal "multi-term service as a member elected director of the board of the Pedernales Electric Cooperative."
Oakley said he could not elaborate any further at the time.
The other two charges relate to what Oakley said was a "fender bender" two years ago, in which he moved a piece of plastic bumper to clear the pathway for drivers.
"I have every confidence that my attorney will be successful in the outcome of addressing these allegations," Oakley said.
On March 16, Oakley provided the following statement regarding the investigations:
“Within my capacity as Burnet County Judge, I serve or have served on several Boards and Commissions that include CAPCOG, CARTPO, TARC, TCOLE & CAMPO. In addition to those affiliations, I’ve been elected by the members of the PEC for the last ten years to serve on its board as a stipend compensated Director as clearly allowed for within Local Government Code 171. Throughout this transparent service, there has never been any overlap of agenda items considered that would require abstention. The Burnet County Attorney signs off on Commissioner’s Court agendas and attends each meeting.
"As defined by and at the direction of the Burnet County Auditor, use of a county issued vehicle to interact with public serving entities like LCRA, PEC, CORIX, Frontier, TxDoT, TDEM, etc., is well within the approved usage of a vehicle as it is serving a public purpose.
"Separately, as required by the Transportation Code, I’m fully aware of the statutorily required duty of a driver to clear obstructing debris from a minor vehicle accident for public safety. It was because of this requirement that I moved a piece of a plastic bumper on April 2nd, 2021.
"I’m humbled and proud to be elected by the citizens of Burnet County and am in the 17th year of that service. I’m equally honored to be elected by the members to serve on the PEC Board of Directors for the last ten years. In light of recent unfounded allegations, I wanted to offer some clarity concerning my public service which has always been in compliance with state laws.“