UTRGV student athletes released on bond
Nineteen-year-olds Robert Brown and Juan Taylor, and 18-year-old Jaeden Servantez, three UTRGV student athletes who were arraigned in a hit-and-run incident that left a cyclist hospitalized, were released on bond Thursday night.
As reported by The Rider on Wednesday, the Edinburg Police Department responded around 9 p.m. Tuesday to an auto-cyclist collision near 21st Avenue and University Drive.
Emergency Medical Services transported 37-year-old cyclist Francisco Hernandez to Doctors Hospital at Renaissance in Edinburg, where he remains in stable condition with 12 broken ribs and a broken leg, according to his sister, Jessica Hernandez.
Jessica Hernandez told The Rider in a phone interview Friday that her brother underwent two surgeries last week for his injuries.
“I don’t know what to say,” she replied when asked for her reaction to the arrest and arraignment. “I just leave everything to God’s hands. … I just want justice. I was still mad to see if they’re going to do something, or not.”
Hernandez started a GoFundMe account to raise money for her brother’s family and to help pay for his medical expenses. The fund has received 38 donations so far and reached $965 of its $8,000 goal.
Edinburg Municipal Judge Hector Bustos charged Brown, the driver, with “collision involving serious bodily injury,” a third-degree felony. The charge is punishable by two-to-10 years jail time and a fine of up to $10,000 upon conviction.
Brown was also charged with failure to report a felony, a class A misdemeanor punishable by a year in county jail and a fine of up to $4,000 upon conviction.
Bustos set a bond of $50,000 on the felony charge and $10,000 on the misdemeanor. Brown was released Thursday night after posting bond.
Bustos charged Servantez and Taylor, passengers in the car, with failure to report a felony, a class A misdemeanor punishable by a year in county jail and a fine of up to $4,000 upon conviction. Bustos set a bond of $10,000 each on the misdemeanor charges. Servantez and Taylor were also released Thursday night after posting bond.
Sharon Mahone, Taylor’s aunt, exited the courtroom before embracing two other family members in tears.
“He’s come down here to learn and he was just a passenger in the car,” Mahone said about Taylor. “It was all a misunderstanding, an accident. But, I don’t feel that he should be responsible.”
She said she thought the coaches would be present.
“The coaches are not here,” Mahone said. “And I would think they [were] going to support them and I don’t see not one coach. Not one.”
Jonah Goldberg, senior associate athletic director for Communications & Championships, wrote in an email Wednesday that UTRGV Athletics is “aware of the situation” and “will take appropriate action if necessary.”
Patrick Gonzales, vice president for University Marketing and Communications, said Friday there will be no further comment until the investigation is complete.
