Latest news with #WillmarPoliceDepartment
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Police use stun gun in arrest of Willmar, Minnesota, man after pursuit
May 13---- A 49-year-old man from Willmar was taken into custody after authorities say he fled from police Monday afternoon. According to a news release from Sgt. Ross Ardoff, commander of the CEE-VI Drug and Gang Task Force, a Taser stun gun was deployed against the man to assist in the arrest. He was wanted on outstanding warrants related to controlled substance charges. Agents attempted to stop a vehicle leaving a hotel in the Willmar area shortly after 1 p.m. Monday. Ardoff said the male fled in the vehicle, initiating a police pursuit. A marked squad car began pursuing the vehicle in the 1500 block of 19th Avenue Southeast and ended within the 1400 block of Gorton Avenue Northwest, after the driver stopped and exited the vehicle. According to the news release, the driver refused to obey verbal commands before the stun gun was used. The man, who was not named, remained in custody of the Kandiyohi County Jail as of Tuesday morning, according to the online roster. No one was harmed and no property damage occurred as a result of the pursuit. According to Ardoff, a search of the vehicle yielded approximately 6 ounces of white powdery substance, which field-tested positive for "the presence of a controlled substance." The substance was sent to the for additional testing. The CEE-VI Drug and Gang Task Force was assisted by the Willmar Police Department and the Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Office.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
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.
