[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6241769,"mediaKeyId","3253900-d7cadef48c033ab34faedf7a6a0b83ad","parentId",3253900,"title","Defense witness describes nightclub brawl, missing radio and knee strike in El Volcán trial","audioSeconds",7528,"startMs",3218000,"endMs",10746000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3253900-d7cadef48c033ab34faedf7a6a0b83ad&start=3218&end=10746","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3253900-d7cadef48c033ab34faedf7a6a0b83ad/thumbnail_3218000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6241769/Texas/Defense-witness-describes-nightclub-brawl-missing-radio-and-knee-strike-in-El-Volcán-trial","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6241769-cff22ceb8be8717d8571d6909d4eed9b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770767814&Signature=VdX7fXU~CY8GQ9tep6FvB9pCXr0ZLENgisUSDoEMZpFFaqUy6~UTMEKJClNSt6m-oTk~r7ymD~B0rTvelXrO9Z~Y0rR~ULOcHFGfZ-Anqorl~OFuH6ba9FDsW1jNpT4K2y3P1Ipkds8~EfeEqPiWVZYXpHqAp4UyiQotQDPtt2ghB6Kyt07RVeDeO8xsZyvqD5Y-RtThdRAzowEsc8-sSkOf~OSOtp7pc5wPiXLlCV7-lS0mioO5a1zpm5BQG-3IwVUIRxzJLTDCcP3pnNDXRt4RY5-HkBHak6GcGTJZDRucniPE3gEL041ellicbbSexK-BWPJuaRqwanutu2ahAg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-05-09T22:11:03Z","article","Mariano Rendon Jr., a co‑owner and on‑floor host at the El Volcán nightclub, testified under direct examination that during an altercation on Aug. 20, 2023 he and staff rushed to break up a crowd and that he put “one knee on his stomach” because the man’s hands were near a security guard’s holster.

Rendon told the jury the club regularly staffed multiple armed security officers and that his standard closing procedures include removing beer buckets and sweeping the dance floor. “That’s my biggest fear,” Rendon said when asked whether the presence of a weapon in the pile of people alarmed him. “I put one knee on his stomach. His his hands were touching the holster.”

On cross‑examination the prosecutor pressed Rendon about gaps in the footage and evidence the defense and the club supplied. Rendon acknowledged that a phone recording of surveillance footage and hazy hard‑wired video were the primary images the club provided to investigators, and he said the club’s internal radios — one of which was later found to be missing — were tracked by GPS and pinged first to a nearby tire shop and then to Nixon, Texas, in the early morning hours after the incident.

Rendon testified that a baton issued to security was also missing after the encounter and that he and staff later photographed injuries sustained by staff and by others. The witness identified defense exhibits showing scratches and abrasions on his back and neck and confirmed those photographs were taken the night of the incident. Defense exhibits 1, 2 and 3 and defense exhibits 9 and 10 (photographs) were admitted into evidence without objection.

Rendon described efforts to de‑escalate after the fight, including phone and text exchanges with Tina Jimenez, who, Rendon said, had family ties to patrons involved in the altercation. He told the jury some conversations and text exchanges were conciliatory at first but later shifted to requests for compensation, which he said he interpreted as settlement demands rather than purely cooperative efforts to resolve the incident.

The witness acknowledged the club’s internal camera system produced limited clarity on the dance floor because of lighting and strobe effects and said other cameras on registers and in back areas are aimed for theft prevention and not wide‑angle crowd monitoring. He also testified that some expected sources of evidence — such as body‑worn camera footage from security employees — were not produced to the court, either because officers did not have cameras or because the footage was not retained by the officers who controlled those devices.

On the record the defense rested its case; the state indicated it had no further witnesses to call at this phase, and the judge excused jurors for deliberation scheduling and ordered they return Monday for closing arguments. The testimony highlighted disputed evidence about who initiated or escalated the fight, the sufficiency of surveillance footage, and the chain of custody for club radios and security equipment.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","FRI., MAY 9, 2025/JUDGE STEPHANIE BOYD/187TH DISTRICT COURT/AFTERNOON DOCK & JURY; STATE VS RENDON","oneSentenceSummary","Mariano Rendon Jr., co‑owner and host at El Volcán, testified that he and staff intervened in an Aug. 20, 2023 brawl, that a security radio and baton went missing afterward and GPS‑pinged to Nixon, Texas, and that he put one knee on a man’s stomach to prevent access to a holstered weapon.","taxTitle","Judge Stephanie Boyd 187th District, District Court Judges, Judicial, Texas","taxId",66298,"location","Texas","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6241774,"Judge Stephanie Boyd sentences Hank Maldonado to 12 months in state jail after no-contest pleas",788,798000,1586000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3253900-d7cadef48c033ab34faedf7a6a0b83ad&start=798&end=1586","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3253900-d7cadef48c033ab34faedf7a6a0b83ad/thumbnail_798000.jpg","/articles/6241774/Texas/Judge-Stephanie-Boyd-sentences-Hank-Maldonado-to-12-months-in-state-jail-after-no-contest-pleas","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6241774-e936fd7f310269ba9015d3053a041d21/orig.mp4?Expires=1770767814&Signature=VNZnemr1BJrtNcde3WH4Ik-dQ91OQa35A54GzVzGf2CN1OgvJ2Cwcd8JeUKB9S612eBB8BMdj4gNIRKQiMxCkS4bXOVnBRdp9gjsVjpUMPmTln3UokyUJWKFmp-eg2dns0jtPQbiCOQUmf25updH6btxtVHQlaGIdqngguVy2E3mJzkHtSjAR4222V8Gsy3fcFDpPm0W~mBg22VBoeqdI-d3PpvlyehLA6nUL8VHDfC24zzbhRknxTgxEnPNFpRGoCWY2~1wRK72KAfhkgErBG3WlxDGi6oco0cPFBg0oBMaWd0DiBgZNQdHSXxMsLu3zck1LEfkJtJq3cmFbN-evA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Judge Stephanie Boyd of the 187th District Court sentenced Hank Maldonado after the defendant entered no-contest pleas in two felony causes, saying the court would assess punishment at a cap of 12 months in a state jail facility and order the cases to run concurrently.

The judge said the state opposed Maldonado’s application for deferred adjudication and that the pleas were followed according to the parties’ plea bargain. “Because these are felony convictions, you're not allowed to own or possess any weapons or ammunition,” Judge Boyd told Maldonado, adding that by waiving appeal rights under the plea bargain he would not have the court’s permission to appeal.

The court noted that both parties had reviewed the pre‑sentence investigation report (PSI) and received the report into evidence. The judge cited Maldonado’s criminal history and prior revocations, saying the defendant had failed to appear for a December 2023 court date and that the court was concerned Maldonado had not taken prior supervision requirements seriously. “You did not appear. That's a sign that you won't be a good candidate for probation,” Judge Boyd said.

The judgment includes orders for restitution and a no-contact condition with Richard Anthony Johnston and Felix Francisco Sitaro Rivas. The judge said she would recommend a therapeutic community but that the state’s opposition to deferred adjudication stood. Maldonado confirmed he had reviewed the court’s trial‑court certification of his rights to appeal and answered “Yes” when the judge asked whether he understood the waiver.

The court scheduled related follow-up proceedings on the record; the clerk and counsel were directed to confer about docketing and any outstanding dismissal forms. The judge also told Maldonado, “It would have been in your best interest to have appeared on your sentencing date,” and wished him luck as the court concluded the matter.

No defense motion for probation was granted during the hearing; the judge pronounced the sentence consistent with the plea agreement and the court’s findings.","In Bexar County 187th District Court, Judge Stephanie Boyd accepted no-contest pleas from Hank Maldonado in two felony cases, imposed concurrent 12‑month state‑jail caps, ordered restitution and no-contact conditions, and denied the state's request for deferral.","actionData","errors"]

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Defense witness describes nightclub brawl, missing radio and knee strike in El Volcán trial

Judge Stephanie Boyd sentences Hank Maldonado to 12 months in state jail after no-contest pleas