Sex offender arrested at McCook school grounds

Thursday, January 17, 2013
Robert Burton

McCOOK, Nebraska -- McCook Police Officer and Public School Resource Officer John Smith arrested a local sex offender for criminal trespassing on school grounds in November. The offender, 73-year-old Robert Burton of 1310 West Circle Drive, subsequently paid a $100 fine in December.

According to the McCook Police Department Burton had previously been given a no trespass letter from the school system, stemming from a prior incident.

He subsequently showed up at a school activity at the McCook Junior and Senior High School campus the afternoon of Nov. 7, 2012 and was arrested and jailed by the resource officer.

Burton was convicted in December 2010 of third degree sexual assault and sentenced to 90 days in jail and 18 months probation, in addition to being ordered to register as a sex offender and have no unsupervised contact with females under the age of 18.

The month before his sexual assault conviction Burton was convicted of disturbing the peace and sentenced to five days in jail, stemming from an incident at Schmick's Market in which he groped a female minor in the chest area while she was standing in a food line.