29-04-2025
Willmar, Minnesota, driver who struck and killed pedestrian sentenced to prison
Apr. 29---- A man charged with criminal vehicular homicide was sentenced last week to serve more than six years in prison after pleading guilty to causing a pedestrian's death in a hit-and-run crash the day after Christmas in 2023.
Paulo Natividad Portillo, 34, of Willmar, was incarcerated at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud after sentencing April 22 in Kandiyohi County District Court.
Portillo pleaded guilty to a felony charge of criminal vehicular homicide in November of 2024. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors agreed to a "bottom of the box" sentence of 75 months in prison — referring to the shortest term within the range recommended by state sentencing guidelines. He was given credit for 455 days already served in custody.
A felony charge of failing to stop after a traffic collision and a misdemeanor charge of driving after suspension were dismissed. Prosecutors also agreed to dismiss another unrelated criminal case against Portillo.
In Minnesota, convicted offenders must spend at least two-thirds of their sentence in custody before being eligible for supervised release. Portillo's expected release date is March 23, 2028, according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
On Dec. 26, 2023, 52-year-old Jason Jarvis, of Cokato — unnamed in court documents but identified at the time by police — was crossing First Street South at Willmar Avenue Southeast when he was struck by a vehicle traveling northbound. The vehicle then fled the scene. The accident was initially reported around 8:07 p.m. that day.
According to an initial news release from the Willmar Police Department, officers arrived to find a CentraCare security officer providing aid to a male pedestrian with "extensive injuries." The CentraCare — Willmar Clinic is located at that intersection.
The man later identified as Jarvis died from his injuries that night at CentraCare — Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar.
Officers took statements from multiple witnesses, collected video from nearby businesses, and were able to identify a possible suspect vehicle and driver.
According to the criminal complaint, Portillo turned himself into law enforcement the day after the hit-and-run crash, stating he knew someone had died.
Portillo said that he had hit someone the previous night but did not stop because he had been drinking at a friend's house earlier. He told investigators he believed he was drunk at the time of the crash, according to the complaint.
He said he did not see the man crossing the street and that no one else was in the car, which he does not own.
The airbags did not deploy after the crash, but Portillo stated he believed a cut on his right lower lip and injury to the left side of his face were from the crash.
According to the criminal complaint, law enforcement later located the damaged vehicle in the 600 block of Charlotte Street Southeast. A detective noted that the passenger side of the hood was dented and that the windshield was shattered.
