On March 3, 2026, Joseph Alan Taylor, 40, of Burnet, pled guilty in the 424th District Court of Burnet County, Texas, to two felony counts of stalking and a single charge of possessing more than 500 images of child pornography. Taylor was sentenced to 5 years in prison for each charge of stalking and 25 years in prison for possession child pornography. After a jury had been selected at Taylor’s trial, Taylor chose to waive his right to continue the jury trial, pleaded guilty to the charges, and agreed to waive all rights of appeal. He was then sentenced by Presiding Judge Evan Stubbs. Taylor will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
The charges against Taylor stem from his arrest for stalking his former spouse and her fiancé in late 2024. After Taylor’s arrest, an officer with the Burnet Police Department seized his cell phone in order to obtain evidence to support the stalking accusations. A forensic analysis of Taylor’s cell phone revealed evidence of stalking, but also uncovered more than 500 images of child pornography.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Alicia Willoughby and Peter Keim on behalf of the District Attorney’s Office.
