Omar Guerrero, the former Hidalgo County District Clerk, was arrested Wednesday on open warrants that have been pending since 2013. Those warrants include felony drug charges, tampering with identification numbers, and sexual assault charges. The man who once ran this county's court records office is now facing charges that can mean life in prison. Court documents and jail records list him as Omar Lopez Guerrero.

Guerrero served as Hidalgo County District Clerk, an elected position. The District Clerk manages all criminal and civil court records for the county's district courts. That includes the very type of criminal case files that Guerrero now has his own name on.

He has been wanted on felony drug charges, tampering with identification numbers, and sexual assault charges since 2013. For more than 13 years, he did not show up to court. Wednesday, that run ended.

The 2013 Drug Arrest

On May 3, 2013, Guerrero was arrested in Hidalgo County on two drug counts. A grand jury indicted him on May 22, 2013.

Count one: possession of a controlled substance in Penalty Group 1 between 4 and 200 grams. Penalty Group 1 includes cocaine, heroin, meth, and fentanyl. That is a felony that can mean 2 to 20 years in prison.

Count two: manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance in the same group, same amount. That is a felony that can mean 5 to 99 years or life in prison.

After the indictment, Guerrero stopped appearing. His name was called in court three times with no answer. Notices sent to his address came back unclaimed. Multiple bail bond companies walked away from his case. By 2019, the court had collected ,000 in forfeited bond money.

The last court hearing on record was November 2018. The case was reset to December 2018 and then went dark.

On the same day as the drug arrest, Guerrero was also charged with tampering with identification numbers. He did not appear on that case either. The court forfeited another ,000 in bond money by October 2019.

Guerrero is also charged with sexual assault stemming from an alleged outcry by a child victim against him in April 2013. El Tejano has not yet located court records for those charges and is continuing to investigate.

A Criminal Record the Public Never Knew About

Jail booking records and court dockets show Guerrero had a criminal history going back more than 20 years.

On November 30, 2005, McAllen Police arrested him for DWI and marijuana possession. He was convicted of DWI in January 2008 and sentenced to three days in jail. He had already served the time and walked out. The marijuana case was dismissed.

In September 2006, he was arrested for hitting a family member. That family violence charge was dismissed in 2008.

In February 2007, Guerrero was booked into the Hidalgo County jail on multiple charges. Jail booking records show those charges included retaliation and sexual assault of a child. A grand jury indicted him on one count of retaliation, a third-degree felony, for events on December 5, 2006. That case went to a full jury trial in the 398th District Court in the summer of 2007. Trial records show testimony about a child victim, including what Texas law calls an outcry statement, the first time a child tells someone about abuse. The state also presented arguments about sexual conduct evidence under Texas Rule of Evidence 412. The jury returned a not guilty verdict on July 30, 2007.

Guerrero was also acquitted of the sexual assault of a child charge in 2007. No court records for that case appear on the Hidalgo County public records website. Under Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 55, a person who is acquitted of a criminal charge has the right to have all arrest records, court files, and related documents expunged from public access. The jail booking record, which is maintained separately, is the only publicly available document that still shows that charge was ever filed.

In May 2010, Mission Police arrested him for harassment. In March 2011, McAllen Police arrested him on a second harassment charge. Both were dismissed in April 2012.

The Role He Held

The Hidalgo County District Clerk is a public trust. That office keeps the official record of every criminal case filed in district court, every judgment signed by a judge, and every document in cases that put people in prison. Guerrero held that office while his own legal problems were building in the background.

What Comes Next

Guerrero was taken into custody Wednesday, June 24, 2026. The 2013 felony drug case is still open at the 370th District Court in Hidalgo County. It has been waiting 13 years for a resolution.

The first-degree felony count alone carries a possible sentence of 5 to 99 years or life in prison.

El Tejano will continue to follow this case. Anyone with information can contact the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office or the Hidalgo County District Attorney's Office.