ATASCOSA COUNTY, Texas – Three people have been taken into custody in connection with a suspected burglary at a strip club near Poteet shortly after the club was raided by authorities and shut down.
A deputy passing by the shuttered Pink Monkey Cabaret on Monday night noticed a car in the parking lot and saw people inside the business, according to Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Eric Kaiser.
“There was one gentleman going through papers in the office, and there were two other gentlemen trying to break into the ATM,” Kaiser said.
The deputy, along with others who arrived as backup, entered the business and arrested one man on the spot, Kaiser said. They also stopped a car in the area and took a second burglary suspect into custody.
Kaiser said they also arrested a woman in the car who had unrelated warrants. Another suspect in the burglary got away, he said.
Mario De Leon, 47; Angel Martinez, 39; and Cyrena Gonzalez, 38, were arrested Monday.
Club raided by authorities
Monday’s arrests come on the heels of four other people who were taken into custody Sunday night on charges related to running the club.
The Pink Monkey Cabaret, located on State Highway 16, just north of Poteet, was raided for operating illegally, according to sheriff’s office investigators.
Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office deputies, along with members of the Atascosa County fire marshal’s office, raided the business, described as “Operation High Heel.”
“When we did some checking, we found out they hadn’t ever even applied for a permit or attempted to comply with our sexually oriented business ordinance,” Kaiser said.
In addition, Kaiser said the building had several code violations: no running water, working restrooms or emergency fire exits.
An Atascosa County ordinance dictates that sexually oriented businesses of this type are restricted to areas at least 2,000 feet away from residential areas, schools, parks and places of worship.
The bright pink building housing the club, which opened less than two weeks ago, is located around the corner from homes and just across the highway from a Baptist church.
Kaiser said his department launched an investigation into the club after receiving calls from neighbors.
Morgan Gee, 30; Martina Compian, 32; Mary Ann Sanchez, 43; and Michael Cardona, 43, all face charges related to operating a sexually oriented business without a license.
Gee faces an additional charge of possession of a controlled substance, and Cardona is also charged with marijuana possession.
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