Prosecutor warns about ‘Melissa Banda situation’ if former Edcouch police chief is released from jail

EDINBURG, Texas ( ValleyCentral ) — A judge set bail Wednesday for a former police chief accused of assaulting, threatening and stalking his wife.

Former Edcouch police Chief Roel Guerra Jr. appeared in court Wednesday morning wearing handcuffs.

“He’s learned his lesson, judge,” said attorney Horacio Peña Jr. of Mission, who represents Guerra. “He’s been in jail for a week. He’s got a life to live. This is eventually going to result in a divorce.”

Edcouch hired Guerra in 2020.

Guerra supervised the police department, which had fewer than 10 full-time officers, and worked closely with the city manager.

Less than a year later, Guerra was charged with assaulting his wife. Edcouch fired him.

The Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office dropped the case in 2022, when his wife decided not to press charges.

Guerra and his wife separated in August 2024, according to court records.

A judge signed a protective order, which prohibited Guerra from going near his wife. Days later, Guerra requested a divorce.

Guerra failed to follow the judge’s order.

According to an affidavit filed by a McAllen Police Department detective, Guerra called his wife about 340 times on Sept. 17.

“This is a nearly everyday occurrence,” according the affidavit, which added that his wife hadn’t called the police “because Mr. Guerra told her that if he ended up in jail he would kill her and then himself.”

Guerra also showed up outside her office, according to the affidavit, and tried to push his way in.

At one point, his wife hit the panic button on her car keys. Guerra grabbed her wrist, according to the police report, attempting to take the keys.

When officers arrived , they found him sitting behind the wheel of a white Ford F-250 in the parking lot, according to a police report. Guerra had a 12-pack of Miller Lite and 60 rounds of ammunition in the truck.

His wife provided officers with video from a surveillance camera, which recorded the altercation.

Guerra is charged with stalking, a third-degree felony; obstruction or retaliation, a third-degree felony; publishing or threatening to publish intimate visual material, a state jail felony; violating a protective order, a Class A misdemeanor; assault on a family or household member, a Class A misdemeanor; driving while intoxicated, a Class B misdemeanor; and criminal trespass, a Class B misdemeanor.

McAllen Municipal Judge Lauren Sepulveda held Guerra without bail on the charge of violating a protective order.

Guerra asked state District Judge Israel Ramon Jr. to review the decision on Wednesday morning.

“It’s a contentious divorce. Yes, he was under the influence of alcohol. He shouldn’t have been there. I’m not going to sugar-coat it,” said Peña, the attorney who represents Guerra. “However, I think he’s entitled to a reasonable bond.”

Peña said McAllen had been “heavy-handed” with the charges and suggested the court set bail at $20,000.

Assistant District Attorney Andrea Maldonado urged the court to keep Guerra in jail.

“You would think that somebody who is in law enforcement so many years would understand when a district court issues out an order, particularly a protective order, you are not to violate it,” Maldonado said.

Guerra, though, decided not to comply with the order, Maldonado said.

“He said: ‘No,’” Maldonado said. “And, in fact, he said ‘no’ 340 times when he called her.”

Not only did he call her, Guerra showed up at her office and assaulted her, Maldonado said, adding that if he’s released from jail, Guerra may violate the protective order again.

“In fact, he said — from his own words — ‘If I make bail, I will put you in a hole,’” Maldonado said.

Maldonado referenced Melissa Banda , a woman from McAllen who requested a protective order against her husband.

The protective order didn’t stop her husband. In August 2020, he rented a car, kidnapped Banda and murdered her.

“I, myself, and the state do not want another Melissa Banda situation to happen,” Maldonado said. “I do feel like this defendant is capable of that.”

Maldonado asked for Guerra to be held without bail.

Ramon, the state district judge, set bail at $50,000 with GPS monitoring. If released, Guerra is prohibited from drinking alcohol, possessing a gun or going near his wife.

“I could have easily followed Judge Sepulveda’s order and the state’s request and all that,” Ramon said. “But I’m giving him one more opportunity.”

Actually posting bail may be a challenge for Guerra.

The charges filed against him in McAllen come with a total bail of $134,000.

Edinburg also charged Guerra with publishing or threatening to publish intimate visual material, a state jail felony, and violating a protective order, a Class A misdemeanor, after he’d been arrested by McAllen. Bail hasn’t been set on the Edinburg charges.

If convicted on the most serious charge against him, Guerra faces 2 to 10 years in prison.

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