Ex-pastor gets 29 years for child sexual assault; other cases pending
Former Granite Shoals pastor Roy Guerrero, 70, was found guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a child on May 23, 2025. He was sentenced to over 29 years in prison for the crime, which was connected to several incidents in 1996. Burnet County Jail photo
A Burnet County jury on May 23 found a former Granite Shoals pastor guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Roy Guerrero, 70, received a prison sentence of 29 years and four months for the 1996 crime.
Guerrero was originally arrested and charged on five counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact in September 2023 after the victim came forward. As the case progressed, the charges were upgraded to five counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Guerrero, who was the pastor of Jesus the Divine Teacher Ministries and head of Joseph’s Food Pantry in Granite Shoals, pleaded not guilty to all five charges. His trial started May 22 in the courtroom of 33rd Judicial District Judge J. Allan Garrett. On the second day, the jury found him guilty on one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child and acquitted him on the other four charges.
Judge Garrett handed down the 29-plus-year sentence at the jury’s recommendation. Aggravated sexual assault of a child is a first-degree felony in Texas, punishable by five to 99 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
Assistant District Attorney Bill Price, the lead prosecutor in the case, sent the following written message to DailyTrib.com in response to questions:
“This case was about more than just a conviction. It was about restoring the faith of a person whose faith in humanity was destroyed as a little girl,” Price said. “The abuse she suffered for years as a child left her believing she was all alone in the world. She and other children who suffer in silence can know that Burnet County will protect them, even if their parents won’t. If a child has the courage to come forward, we will fight to make sure that child has a voice.”
MORE CHARGES
Guerrero still has two other child-crime charges pending against him.
Following his initial arrest in September 2023, he was arrested again in December 2023 on a charge of indecency with a child by sexual contact with a different victim, which was connected to an incident in January 2002. He was arrested a third time in March 2024 on a charge related to another victim, this time from an incident in 1999.
After the March 2024 arrest, Burnet County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Chris King told DailyTrib.com the next two victims came forward after hearing about the initial charges brought against Guerrero.
“We had the original victim come in, and the other victims saw it happen in the paper or were made aware of it through word of mouth,” he said. “I can tell you, just by speaking with victims, they’re afraid people won’t believe them. It just takes someone to step up and talk about it.”