A judge last week refused to lower the bail for a former Voyeur staffer accused of attacking a gay man last month.
At a preliminary hearing Dec. 27, Judge Patrick Dugan rejected a request by Julia Theobald, defense attorney for Miguel Maldonado, to reduce the bail for her client. Bail is currently set at $50,000, and Maldonado would need to post 10 percent of that amount to be released. Maldonado, 32, remains incarcerated at the House of Corrections in connection with the Nov. 10 attack on Nick Forte near Voyeur. His co-defendant, Matthew Morris, 27, posted the requisite $5,000 Dec. 8, the day after their arrest.
At last week’s proceeding, Theobald argued that Maldonado, a father of two, was needed at home. Neither defendant was present in the courtroom, but Maldonado’s wife was.
Dugan gave no reason for his denial.
Both men are charged with aggravated and simple assault, robbery, conspiracy, theft, receiving stolen property and reckless endangerment.
At about 2 a.m. Nov. 10, Forte was walking in the 200 block of South Camac Street when Maldonado allegedly approached from behind and struck him in the head with a flashlight, rendering Forte unconscious. Morris then allegedly pummeled Forte while he was on the ground and stole his belongings. Forte suffered a number of broken bones in the incident. It is unclear if robbery was the motive for the attack.
A detective on the case said Maldonado has been terminated from his position as a Voyeur bouncer after about six months on the job. Maldonado had been arrested a number of times in the past for offenses such as assault, drugs and weapons charges.
The next proceeding is 8 a.m. Jan. 14 in Room 903 of the Criminal Justice Center, 1301 Filbert St.