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Roy Guerrero, facing three accusers, has volunteered at numerous philanthropic events (seen here in 2021). He also founded and expanded the Granite Shoals food pantry. File photo
A Granite Shoals pantry organizer faces several charges of child sexual abuse, following outcries from three alleged victims.
Burnet County Sheriff’s Office records
show that Roy Guerrero, Sr., 68, was booked into the jail on Sept. 12, 2023, Dec. 14, 2023 and March 14, 2024 on a combination of seven charges, stemming from indictments.
Guerrero is the founder of Joseph’s Food Pantry, which operates as a ministry.
The latest charge in connection with the March 14 arrest originated from a third accuser, reading a media report about Guerrero’s initial charges of indecency with a child-contact, a second degree felony, authorities say.
The Highlander initially reported Sept. 15, 2023, Guerre- ro's arrest on five counts of indecency with a child-contact, involving one accuser who alleged the incidents happened in 1996.
A second alleged vic- tim, a friend of the first accuser’s family, then came forward with an allegation resulting in the second indictment of indecency with a child-contact, investiga- tors confirmed.
Burnet County Sher- iff's Office Investiga tor Chris King told The Highlander that a third woman in Bell County reached out to the agency to make a report.
“A young female not even affiliated with the first two victims; she didn’t know them … she read an article about the charge, and she said ‘that is the guy that did that to me.’” The third alleged victim, a previous resident of Granite Shoals, told the investigator the alleged sex abuse occurred at the Granite Shoals Volunteer Fire Department, when Guerrero served with the agency.
“She was visiting the fire department there with her mom,” King said. “From the article, she didn’t know exactly what he did (to the other accuser), but when she told me her story, it matched what he did to the other two.
“I worked that up for the grand jury and they indicted him on that case,” he added.
Attempts to reach Guerrero were unsuccessful by press time on March 21.
All three alleged victims are now adults and say the incidents occurred in a period of time between the late 1990s and in the 2000s. The first two accusers said they were in their early to mid teens, when the incidents occurred.
The third accuser told investigators she was around six or seven years old.
“The MO (method of operation) was the same for all three,” King said.
Guerrero founded the pantry, 706 North Phillips Ranch Road in Granite Shoals, which partners with Austin Capitol Food Bank.
Thousands of pounds of food are distributed every year to families through the pantry. The nonprofit operates as a ministry in which Guerrero is listed as a pastor. Guerrero has also been active with local elementary schools to distribute free food and meals for several years. He has also been a regular volunteer for area philanthropic organization events.
After the first ar rest, a 33rd Judicial Dis- trict Court judge set five bonds, totaling $150,000. He was released three days later. Bonds for the next two arrests were set at $40,000 each for the single charges. He was released the same day of both arrests.