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Former Kleberg County jailer pleads guilty to sexual harassment of an inmate

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Posted at 3:02 PM, Jan 26, 2024
and last updated 2024-01-26 18:27:24-05

KINGSVILLE, Tx — Roy Guerrero, a former jailer in Kleberg County, pleaded guilty this week to sexual harassment of a female inmate.

Guerrero was originally charged with violating the civil rights of a person in custody and improper sexual activity with persons in custody, and ultimately pleaded to the lesser-included charge.

"An officer took responsibility for sexually harassing a female inmate at the Kleberg County Jail," Kleberg County District Attorney John Hubert said. "He resigned and has given up his peace officer license and has been placed on probation."

As part of the plea deal, Guerrero received deferred adjudication and will be on probation for two years. He also must pay a fine of $1,500 and can never work in law enforcement again. His records also cannot be sealed.

Documents obtained by KRIS 6 News revealed Guerrero was given a general discharge from the Kleberg County Sheriff's Office in August of 2022 amid an investigation into these allegations.

In 2021, KRIS 6 News first reported he had resigned the position of Orange Grove Police Chief as the city began an investigation into allegations that he had assaulted a teen while working as an off-duty security officer.

In addition to serving as Orange Grove's Police Chief, Guerrero has previously worked for the Sinton, Driscoll, and San Diego police departments, Corpus Christi City Marshal's Office, and the Corpus Christi International Airport as a peace office.

"It's important to resolve this case because people have to have faith in the criminal justice system and know they will be protected in custody," Hubert said. "Rules of behavior apply to both prisoners and the people responsible for them. A great majority of detention officers are honorable people doing a difficult job and this does not reflect on them or the difficult job they do on a daily basis."

This is a developing story, check back at KRIS 6 News for updates.