By Gina Tabonares
Variety News Staff

THE March 8 evidentiary hearing on the appeal filed by former police officer Jason Coburian Ortiola has been vacated and rescheduled for March 16.
District Court Judge Joaquin Manibusan ordered the new schedule following a stipulation signed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Ortiola’s counsel, Richard P. Arens.
The stipulated motion of the parties to continue the evidentiary hearing was filed last week, citing the scheduled trip of the government prosecutor to Columbia, South Carolina to attend the Asset Forfeiture Chiefs’ Conference.
Atty. Karon Johnson is also set to attend an oral argument on March 12 in San Francisco before the Ninth Circuit and will be back on March 14.
A witness in the hearing, Atty. Howard Trapp, is only available on March 15 or any time after that.
Ortiola, 26, filed a motion to vacate, set aside or correct his sentence, saying that he was denied of a counsel’s effective assistance.
He was sentenced on Sept. 20, 2006 after entering a guilty plea for the distribution of methamphetamine hydrochloride while on duty and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking.
He was dismissed from the Guam Police Department following his arrest on June 8, 2005 and was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and 500 hours of drug treatment program.
In a motion he filed, the former police officer said his lawyer did not give him feedback nor showed any more interest in his case despite the fact that the district judge gave him 10 days to appeal his sentence.
Formerly assigned in the Tamuning-Tumon precinct, Ortiola was caught selling one-half gram of “ice” for $300 while on duty, while wearing his uniform, and while carrying a GPD-issued .9mm pistol.