SEBASTIAN COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A former Sebastian County judge will serve one year of unsupervised probation and pay a fine after pleading guilty to a charge of abuse of public trust.

Robert Dennis “Denny” Altes, 74, of Fort Smith, entered the plea in the Circuit Court of Sebastian County on January 23. The judgment noted that the charge was reduced from a class C felony to a class A misdemeanor after a motion by the state.

Altes will pay a $250 fine and $221 in court costs and fees. He served in the Arkansas state House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003 and 2011-2015.

He was also in the state senate from 2003-2011 and served on the Sebastian County Quorum Court. Last year, he was a Republican candidate for Sebastian County Judge but finished second in the primary election.

Special prosecutor Emily White said that the court plans to make more information about the case available soon. Public disclosure was limited in order to “avoid unfair publicity,” White said.