Sex Offender Lino Donato Removed as Poteet, Texas, Mayor

Less than a week after being indicted on new charges of improper contact with a minor, the Poteet, Texas, city council finally had registered sex offender Lino Donato removed as mayor of the town, according to the AP. The reason? He had missed more than three town council meetings without an excused absence, contravening the city's by-laws.

Last week's indictment and arrest represent Lino Donato's second sex offense. In July 2007, Lino Donato was convicted of sex offenses with a minor after pleading guilty. Donato was registered as a sex offender but, because of the deferred adjudication of the charges, the conviction was not final and city council could not remove him from office at that time.

Lino Donato's registered sex offender status, however, required that he stay away from areas where children congregate. The Poteet City Hall, where town council meetings are held, is within 1,000 feet of the city's public library, where children congregate. Donato had deferred being ousted by the missed meeting ruling until recently as he bequeathed his duties to another councilor until May 2008, when the councilor resigned. He has since missed four city council meetings.

The new sex offender charges stem from Lino Donato's alleged sexual contact with a girl under 14 in August 2007. Donato was arrested last week on three felony child sex charges. According to the Atascosa County Sheriff's Office, Lino Donato was released Monday on $200,000 bond.

Other Mayors Charged with Crimes

Lino Donato is not the first U.S. city mayor to serve after having been charged with a crime. Former Washington, DC mayor, Marion Barry, served his fourth term as elected mayor from 1995-1999 despite having spent six months in jail in 1991 on drug charges. Barry was charged with three felony counts of perjury, ten counts of misdemeanor drug possession, and one misdemeanor count of conspiracy to possess cocaine.