The arrest of a county courthouse bailiff, Marco Antonio Camarillo, on charges of unlawfully carrying a weapon on school grounds started making the rounds on social media last week. El Paso News took notice of the arrest after the arrest led to suggestions that the arrest was politically motivated.
According to court records, Camarillo was indicted on June 3rd, 2026. On June 12, 2026, an arrest warrant was issued against him. Camarillo was arrested on June 18th. He is charged with an adult felony.
According to sources, Camarillo was detained, cited and released twice at Hanks High School. He was detained because he was carrying a gun on school property without proper authorization. The first incident was on November 17, 2025, and the second incident was on January 20, 2026.
Although Camarillo was detained both times, he was released until the case could be presented for an indictment. There are no records showing that an indictment was issued for the November incident. However, it appears that he was indicted on June 12th for the January incident, and he was arrested six days later.
No word yet on why the indictment took over six months to be issued.
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Records show that Camarillo has worked at the courthouse in various capacities since 2015. His latest assignment is as Bailiff in the temporary pool assigned to the 388th Judicial District Court.
The judge of the 388th is Marlene González.
We reached out to González for a comment on Camarillo’s arrest. González released a written statement to the news media late yesterday.
According to González’s statement, Camarillo does not report to her. He reports directly to the associate judge he is assigned to. González added in her written statement that it is the County’s Human Resources Department that will address Camarillo’s employment status during his pending criminal case.
Although Camarillo is assigned to the associate judge in the court, its the Human Resources Department that makes decisions on his employment status.
González went on to add in her statement that “it would be improper for me to comment on any aspect” of the arrest because it is a pending criminal matter. Judges are prohibited from commenting on matters before the courts. However, González added that her “personal interactions with Mr. Camarillo were always cordial and professional.” She closed her statement with she hopes that the case “is resolved fairly, and that justice prevails.”
Court records show that Camarillo was charged with possession of marihuana in 2011 and sentenced to probation and 80 hours of community service in 2013. The charges were dismissed in 2014 after he completed his probation.
Camarillo’s next court case is scheduled for July 9.
Because this is an ongoing case, officials will not comment on the specifics of the case.
This is a developing story that we are following. We will bring you more details as they become available.