A Miami-Dade judge sentenced ex-Hialeah Police Officer Rafael Otano to over five years in prison for the kidnapping of homeless man Jose Ortega-Gutierrez. Otano drove Gutierrez to a remote area where, Gutierrez claimed, they beat him and left him injured and bloodied in the woods. Otano was found not guilty of battery in his August trial. The former officer’s co-defendant, Orfila, has not yet stood trial. Both officers were fired following their arrests.
Otano’s wife was called to the stand. “Please let him come home to me and my baby,” his wife said through a Spanish interpreter. Judge Andrea Wolfson declined that motion, saying she did not believe Otano, who appeared shaky and sad while testifying Wednesday, had any remorse for what happened, saying he only regretted getting caught.
