Former mayor of California town arrested in foreign exchange student sex abuse case

A former mayor of a Northern California city has been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing a minor foreign exchange student who had been assigned to his home, police said.

Robert "Brian" Bassett, 58, was arrested July 9 and booked into the Butte County Jail on multiple felony sexual assault charges, Gridley police said.

Police said the investigation began after the department received information alleging that a juvenile foreign exchange student had been repeatedly sexually abused while under the care of a host family.

The charges listed by police include sexual penetration of a minor, oral copulation with a minor and statutory rape.

Police said the victim is safe and receiving support from family and friends.

"The allegations in this case involve a profound betrayal by an individual who was entrusted with the care and well-being of a young individual living thousands of miles away from home and their family," Gridley police said in a statement.

Additional details are being withheld because the case involves a minor and to protect the ongoing criminal proceedings, police said.

Bassett served as mayor of Biggs in 2023 and was also a city councilmember, resigning fully from the council in 2025. 

Gridley is a small Butte County city of just over 7,000 residents, about an hour north of Sacramento and roughly 27 miles south of Chico.