Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Criminal Justice Sentencing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Judge Boyd Accepts No-Contest Pleas; Hank Maldonado Sentenced to 12 Months in State Jail
Summary
In 187th District Court proceedings, Judge Stephanie Boyd followed a plea bargain and sentenced Hank Maldonado to concurrent 12-month terms in state jail after no-contest pleas; the state opposed his application for deferred adjudication and restitution and no-contact conditions were ordered.
Judge Stephanie Boyd of the 187th District Court accepted no-contest pleas from Hank Maldonado and sentenced him to 12 months in a state jail facility under the terms of his plea bargain. The judge said the court followed the plea agreement and that the sentences on the two cause numbers would run concurrently.
The court’s action came after the state and defense confirmed they had reviewed the presentence investigation (PSI) report. Patrick Harris Sandler, representing the State, told the court that Maldonado’s history and failure to appear in prior matters counseled against deferred adjudication. David McLean, Maldonado’s defense attorney, asked the court to consider probation and argued that treatment recommendations in the TAP evaluation suggested only urinalysis was needed rather than inpatient treatment.
The judge explained the immediate consequences to Maldonado and the record: “Because these are felony convictions, you're not allowed to own or possess any weapons or ammunition,” and the court noted Maldonado had waived appeal rights under the plea bargain. Judge Boyd also imposed restitution and ordered no contact with Richard Anthony Johnston and Felix Francisco Sintero Rivas; she recommended participation in a therapeutic community program.
During the hearing the court recited Maldonado’s prior record and the parties’ positions. Sandler summarized concerns in the PSI, saying Maldonado had multiple arrests for controlled substances over about a decade and had previously been revoked on probation, adding that Maldonado had failed to appear in court in December 2023. McLean responded that the TAP evaluation did not recommend intensive treatment and emphasized that Maldonado had been fearful of incarceration and was now employed in a business with his wife.
Judge Boyd told Maldonado he had been scheduled to appear and that his failure to appear was a consideration against probation; she then announced the sentences, ran the causes concurrently, and stated that punishment would be assessed at a cap of 12 months in a state jail facility. The judge confirmed the defendant had reviewed the trial court certification of rights to appeal and noted the waiver of appeal in the plea bargain.
The court set additional administrative matters on the record (restitution, no-contact conditions, and a therapeutic community recommendation) and closed the matter for disposition on the plea and punishment.
The hearing record shows the State opposed deferred adjudication and that the court imposed confinement and supervisory conditions as described; parties indicated they would return on a later date for related matters.
