Man sentenced after threatening to shoot 3 people

ATHENS – Our news partner, KETK, reports that an Athens man was sentenced to prison after threatening to shoot three people, including a child with an AR-15 in September of 2024.

According to the Henderson County District Attorney, Freddie Castillo, 36 of Athens, was found guilty of two counts of aggravated assault on April 24 and sentenced to five years on one count and four years on the second count with both starting April 25.

The DA said they heard testimony that on Sept. 28, 2024 deputies responded to CR 4613 in Athens after the caller reported that she, her husband and her 13-year-old son picked up her sister-in-law from Cleburne and were bringing her home she shared with her husband, Castillo when he began yelling at everyone.

According to the testimony, Castillo then grabbed an AR-15 firearm from the bed of his pickup and pointed it at them, threatening to shoot them if they got out of the truck. The occupants, including the child, testified that they were ‘in fear for their lives,’ officials said.

The deputy on scene testified that when he arrived to the home, he heard Castillo yelling from inside. The deputy later located Castillo with his wife and the black AR-style firearm leaning against a stack of used tires in the yard, officials said.

The DA said after Castillo was convicted the jury heard the defendant’s previous criminal history, which included two driving while intoxicated convictions and a conviction for evading arrest.

“Our community deserves to feel safe, and this verdict sends a clear message that violence and intimidation will not be tolerated,” District Attorney Jenny Palmer said. “I’m proud of our prosecutors for their hard work and grateful to the jury for holding this defendant accountable.”