Crime & Safety

Inver Grove Heights Man Threatens New Neighbor With Machete on Moving Day

If convicted of the charge against him, Jose Fredy Portillo faces up to seven years in prison and a $14,000 fine.

A 43-year-old Inver Grove Heights man was charged Aug. 19 with second-degree assault after police say he became enraged and repeatedly swung a machete at his neighbor. 

According to a Dakota County criminal complaint, Jose Fredy Portillo called police complaining that someone was trying to get into his apartment in the 7000 block of Concord Boulevard.

He told police that people were banging on his door at around 2 a.m. and that he opened the door to confront them. He denied having a machete in his possession. 

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The complaint states that a witness saw a mother and daughter moving into the apartment across the hall from Portillo and that, at one point, they bumped Portillo's door with a headboard while carrying it in the hallway. 

The witness also told police that Portillo threw the machete at him when he realized he was being watched.

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Police said they found a machete laying on the steps of the apartment building when they arrived, the complaint states. 

The neighbor and her daughter reportedly confirmed that Portillo was swinging a machete and ultimately threw it—or dropped it while swinging it—at the witness.

After his arrest, Portillo allowed Inver Grove Heights police to search his apartment—wherein they found a sheath to a machete under Portillo's bed.

Portillo allegedly denied owning the sheath, or the machete, and told police it must have belonged to a former roommate. 

If convicted of the charge against him, Portillo faces up to seven years in prison and a $14,000 fine. 


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