(*5*)The conviction, which may have landed the ex-officer in the back of bars for existence, stemmed from the detention, beating, and cover-up on Dec. 17 of a homeless guy, Jose Ortega-Gutierrez.
(*5*)Otano used to be discovered now not responsible of battery in his August trial. The former officer’s co-defendant, Lorenzo Orfila, has now not but stood trial; he has a court docket listening to scheduled for December.
(*5*)Both officials have been fired following their arrests.
(*5*)Otano’s lawyers argued for a “motion of downward departure” throughout Wednesday’s listening to, seeking to persuade the pass judgement on to go away from sentence pointers and provides the previous officer a more lenient penalty.
(*5*)Loved ones testified on his behalf.
(*5*)“Please let him come home to me and my baby,” his spouse stated thru a Spanish interpreter.
(*5*)Judge Andrea Wolfson declined that movement, pronouncing she didn’t consider Otano, who gave the impression shaky and unhappy whilst attesting Wednesday, had any regret for what came about, pronouncing he most effective regretted getting stuck.
(*5*)“That desire to terrorize this victim was so great. And then there were the cover ups,” she stated. “I do not believe Mr. Otano has remorse for what occurred in this case. I believe that the regret that he has indicated is a regret of having been caught.”
(*5*)She referred to as Otano’s movements “an extremely egregious betrayal of the public trust,” sentencing him to 5 years probation in addition to 66 months in the back of bars, pronouncing she used to be following her center and the regulation.
(*5*)Otano’s lawyers have in the past said they intend to attraction the decision and reiterated their aim Wednesday.
(*5*)Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, whose place of work prosecuted the case, launched a remark in regards to the Wednesday afternoon:
“Today’s sentencing of former Hialeah Police Officer Rafael Otano marks a sad day for the Hialeah Police Department and for the entire Miami-Dade law enforcement community. When the jury convicted Otano of the armed kidnapping of a homeless man intended to’ teach him a lesson’, it sent out the strongest message possible that this community is a community of laws which govern us all.
Our police officers, who spend every day protecting our community, all understand that one cannot uphold the values of our laws while engaged in actions which violate the law itself.”
(*5*)Coverage of trial
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