Oakley trial moved to Johnson City
Burnet County Judge James Oakley. File photo
The jury trial in a misdemeanor case against suspended Burnet County Judge James Oakley has been moved to the Blanco County District Court in Johnson City. It is set for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 29, said District Attorney Wiley “Sonny” McAfee of the 33rd and 424th judicial districts, which cover Burnet, Blanco, Llano, and San Saba counties.
“I dismissed the case in Burnet County and refiled it in Llano County,” McAfee told DailyTrib.com. “The case is more suited to Blanco County. That’s where the use of the property occurred.”
Cause No. 55345, Abuse of Official Capacity, a Class B misdemeanor, charges that Oakley drove a county-owned vehicle to Pedernales Electric Cooperative Board of Directors meetings. Oakley serves in two paid elected positions: Burnet County judge and PEC director for District 5. He has been a PEC director for 10 years and county judge for eight years. He was re-elected to both positions in 2022.
Oakley originally faced four charges in a grand jury indictment filed on March 7. He was suspended without pay on March 15 by the State Commission of Judicial Conduct.
One of the four charges involved the legality of serving in a paid nonprofit position while also being a paid elected official. Two of the other charges stemmed from a vehicle accident he was involved in on April 2, 2021, at the intersection of Texas 71 and CR 191 in Spicewood, after which he removed a bumper from the road.
All but the charge of using a public vehicle for private gain were quashed by visiting judge Dib Waldrip of Comal County in a Burnet District Court hearing on July 10. McAfee appealed the three quashed charges to the Court of Appeals Third District of Texas in Austin.
Oakley said he had no problem with the trial changing venues.
“I’m confident the jury pool (in Blanco) can look through the facts of the case and determine the outcome we desire,” Oakley told DailyTrib.com. “I’m looking forward to getting through this and getting back to work for the people who elected me to office.”
The trial will take place in a Blanco County District courtroom at 101 E. Cypress in Johnson City, across the street from the courthouse.
4 thoughts on “Oakley trial moved to Johnson City”
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Not a witch hunt as witches were women who were burned and drowned. He should be tried in Burnet County with constituent jurors.
Where there is smoke, there is fire. Of course that may just be smoke left over from a number of previous fires from other Texas Ethics investigations concerning judicial MISconduct in Burnet County. Doesn’t that track record over the years make you proud to call Burnet County home?
By the way Burnet County is currently drowning in debt that some in the know residing in Spicewood and Marble Falls say is around $30,000,000.
Instead of the suspended judge and minion commissioners trying to get their names on a plaque on a bridge or bridges to nowhere or trying to build a worthless meeting facility in Burnet, they might want to pay down our monumental debt. Of course the interest is only several hundred thousand dollars per year so why worry about it or address it when our county law enforcement is second, third or fourth priority, the jail is bleeding like the stuck pig that it was and remains today (who’s idea was it to buy that jail anyway?) & county roads are falling apart. Pay no attention to that man hiding behind the curtain with the ELECTRONIC voting machines! Let them drop another $500,000 on these “machines”.
All is well! All is well!
Man, witch hunt is right. Judge Oakley has always done a good job as far as I am concerned. Did these charges get dreamed up by D.A. McAfee or somebody else? Let it go and quit wasting Burnet County’s time and money. Use a little common sense, please.
I am curious when district courts started hearing misdemeanors, was it at the same time district attorneys started pushing misdemeanor charges?
When will this witch hunt end?