Pending trial date set for former police chief

ATHENS — Former Coffee City Police Chief JohnJay Portillo was in the Henderson County 3rd District Court for a hearing on Monday. According to our news partner KETK, the hearing was held after Portillo’s attorney asked Judge Mark Calhoon for more time before a trial, to come to an agreement with the state. If a deal isn’t reached, Portillo could be on trial as soon as Oct. 21 or 22. Portillo was arrested back in December of 2023 on six charges of tampering/false entry on a government record. Portillo’s arrest came two months after the deactivation of the Coffee City Police Department and Portillo’s termination as chief.

“At the end of the day, there’s always discovery that could come out, there’s continuing investigations, breakdown in communications sometimes occur and then they pick back up in negotiations so, we’ll see,” said Justin Weiner, attorney for Portillo.

Weiner added that he’s proud to be representing Portillo.

“I’m very proud to represent John and very proud of the criminal justice system and hope that it works out the right way, that it typically does,” Weiner said.