GUADALUPE COUNTY, Texas – Guadalupe County brought new charges against the chief marshal of Santa Clara for misusing government databases to look up information on people.
Jerry Airola was arrested for the second time in two years on charges related to abusing his official position.
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Airola is accused of using a law enforcement database to look up information on 16 different people or businesses, according to an indictment obtained by KSAT.
The charge states that the aggregate value of using this database ranged between $2,500 and $30,000.
The new charge includes searches on two people for whom Airola was previously arrested for using the database to look up.
KSAT is not naming any of the victims, but there are no court records listing charges against any of the people Airola looked up on the database.
A jury trial is set for two of those previous charges on Nov. 3. Airola’s defense filed a motion to dismiss on the third charge Wednesday, claiming the prosecution is unable to prove without reasonable doubt.
The new indictment also expands the time frame in which these unlawful searches occurred.
While the 2024 indictments referenced only two specific days, the new charge ranges between May 2021 and December 2023.
The affidavit also appears to include searches on two people related to the victims of the original charges, one person who appears to be related to Airola, as well as eight other people and three other businesses.
Prosecutors allege Airola used the database with the intention to benefit himself or harm and defraud others.
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