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closeFriday, Nov. 06, 2009
Guilty plea entered in Mabton gun incident
By Kristin M. Kraemer, Herald staff writer
A Mabton teen admitted to flashing a stolen gun when his brother was fighting with another man at a Prosser party.
Esequiel Xavier Torres, 18, pleaded guilty to second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a stolen firearm and unlawful display of a weapon. He was sentenced to six months in jail.
Torres, his brother and his brother's girlfriend were at a party on Highland Drive on July 26 when the fight started. A neighbor called Prosser police after hearing a gunshot and officers arrived just as many people were leaving the area.
During the fight between Jesus Torres and Justin M. Cavazos, Esequiel Torres "came outside, pointed a handgun at 'Hurricane' (Cavazos) and fired," court documents said. The brothers then drove off with the woman but were later stopped by Sunnyside officers.
Torres was a passenger and located near him was a .357 Magnum-caliber handgun that had been reported stolen from a White Swan man earlier this year, documents said.
A charge of second-degree assault with a firearm allegation was reduced to unlawful display of a weapon after Cavazos told a defense investigator "that he does not consider himself a victim," Deputy Prosecutor Terry Bloor wrote in court documents.
Cavazos also told the investigator he was "extremely intoxicated" at the time and never heard a gunshot or saw anyone point a gun, Bloor said.
The reduction results in Torres still pleading guilty to two felony offenses and should hold him accountable, Bloor said.
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