Illegal immigrant charged in connection to death of Nassau County deputy

The illegal immigrant who ran from law enforcement in Nassau County, leading to the death of a Deputy who was hit by a car while chasing him, has now been charged in direct connection to that death.

WOKV has confirmed with the Florida Highway Patrol that Francisco Portillo-Fuentes has been indicted by a grand jury in Nassau County for aggravated manslaughter, felony murder, escape, and resisting without violence. FHP announced in April that they intended to seek charges, but they have continued to put the case together with the State Attorney's Office and immigration officials, until now.

Since the 2016 incident, Portillo-Fuentes- who is from El Salvador- has been serving a federal sentence for illegally re-entering the country, but that sentence is up this week. He remains in the Duval County Jail at this time, where he was transported from federal custody because of the local charges that would be pending.

Nassau County Deputy Eric Oliver was hit by a vehicle, while chasing Portillo-Fuentes across SR 200 in November 2016. Investigators say Portillo-Fuentes had run off after federal investigators approached him and several other men in a truck. Court records show Portillo-Fuentes illegally entered the US only days before the incident, and he had been deported twice before that. He pleaded guilty to the illegal re-entry charge, and was sentenced to two years in prison.