A 63-year-old Burnet County man, Aubrey Hart, has been slapped with a 99-year prison sentence after failing to comply with sex offender registry laws, a mandatory condition given his history of serious felony convictions. A jury convicted him on Dec. 5 of failing to register as a sex offender, and after reviewing evidence of his past crimes which included sexual assault, rape, forgery, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and bail jumping, made the decision to put him away for what will likely be the remainder of his life, KVUE reported.
On Feb. 13, Hart was arrested when officers, who were responding to an allegation against him, came to his residence in Burnet. Law enforcement directed Hart that he could not return to his home, and when a parole warrant was issued, he chose to flee Burnet County instead of appearing before his sex offender registration officer. After a few weeks on the lam, he was apprehended in St. Louis using an alias and without having informed the local authorities about his sex offender status as reported by CBS Austin.
Assistant District Attorney Tiffany Clark didn't mince words following the trial, saying, "This jury told a now 10-time convicted felon that enough was enough. Burnet County is not a place for sex offenders to try to run and hide," according to a statement reported by CBS Austin. "By their verdict, this jury has played a key role in protecting our community from this habitual offender."
Echoing Clark's sentiments was District Attorney Sonny McAfee, who assured the public that the law has a long reach. Made assurances by McAfee were that "Running from the law in Burnet County won't be tolerated," he told KVUE. McAfee committed to continued cooperation with agencies to "bring justice to sex offenders and keep our community safe."
