Robert Brian Bassett, 58, former mayor of Biggs, pleaded no contest Aug. 5 to three charges of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. He is scheduled for sentencing Sept. 2. Photo courtesy of Butte County District Attorney’s Office

CHICO, CA (MPG) - Former Biggs Mayor Robert Brian Bassett could spend more than four years in state prison after pleading no contest Aug. 5 to three charges of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

Bassett, 58, entered the pleas in Butte County Superior Court in a case involving a 17-year-old foreign exchange student who stayed at his Biggs home in 2023, when Bassett served as mayor.

He faces up to four years and four months in prison.

The court ordered Bassett to be held without bail at the Butte County Jail until his sentencing Sept. 2.

The case surfaced after community allegations prompted Gridley police to investigate Bassett's relationship with the student. The investigation continued for several months and eventually reached the student in her home country.

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said the student told investigators she had several sexual encounters with Bassett while she was 17 and living in his home.

Gridley police arrested Bassett in July while serving the search warrant.

Wednesday's plea moves the case directly to sentencing and eliminates the need for a trial.