Burnet man gets 99 years for failing to register as sex offender
Aubrey Hart, 63, of Burnet was sentenced to 99 years in prison on Dec. 5, 2023, for failing to register as a sex offender.
Aubrey Hart, 63, of Burnet was handed a 99-year prison sentence after a jury convicted him of failure to register as a sex offender, according to a media release from the District Attorney’s Office of the 33rd/424th Judicial Districts. The trial took place Dec. 5 in the courtroom of 424th District Judge Evan Stubbs.
In the punishment phase of the trial, Assistant District Attorneys Tiffany Clark and Amanda Dillon introduced evidence of the defendant’s prior felony convictions for rape, forgery, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and bail jumping. After finding the enhancement paragraphs true, the jury sentenced Hart to 99 years. He was represented by public defenders Nathan Kight and Steven Zimmerman.
According to the release, on Feb. 13, 2023, officers arrived at Hart’s Burnet home to investigate an allegation against him. He was arrested and told he could not return to the home. Jurors learned that, instead of reporting to his sex offender registration officer, Hart fled Burnet County after a parole warrant was issued.
Several weeks later, with the help of the Attorney General’s Office and federal fugitive task force agents, Hart was found in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was using an alias. He never reported his sex offender status to St. Louis authorities, according to the release.
Hart’s previous conviction of sexual assault required that he register as a sex offender and report address changes to the Burnet Police Department, which he failed to do, according to the release.
“This jury told a now 10-time convicted felon that enough was enough,” Assistant DA Clark said after the verdict. “Burnet County is not a place for sex offenders to try to run and hide. By their verdict, this jury has played a key role in protecting our community from this habitual offender.”