CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Brandon Portillo, who is accused of causing a drunk driving accident that killed a Corpus Christi police officer, was in court Friday morning for a pre-trial hearing.
Officer Alan McCollum was killed and two other officers were injured when Portillo allegedly crashed into them as they were doing a traffic stop.
Portillo is charged with intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault in connection with that accident that happened on Jan. 31, 2020.
The hearing on Friday involved going over several pending motions.
One motion filed by the defense asked that victims not be allowed to sit in court during the trial because it might influence their testimony.
Prosecutor Angelica Hernandez told 94th District Court Judge Bobby Galvan the motion is not a concern, since the prosecution's case will mostly be based on video evidence.
"Everything is on video, there's no question," Hernandez said. "These jurors are going to see officer McCollum fall off the causeway. They're going to see the crash from three different dash cam angles. They're going to see Michael Love pinned and hear every word he says as he screams in pain."
Galvan did not rule on that motion.
He did grant a motion from both the prosecution and the defense asking for a gag order.
That means no one involved in the case can discuss it outside the courtroom.
Portillo also entered a not guilty plea on two new drug charges.
He's accused of bringing methamphetamine into the county jail.
Portillo's trial is set to begin next week.
