Willmar man gets five years in assault case

WILLMAR - Daniel Esquivel Torres, 28, of Willmar, pleaded guilty and was sentenced Thursday to 60 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm during a June 6 assault of a woman in Willmar.
As part of his sentence handed down by District Judge David Mennis in Kandiyohi County District Court, Torres was given credit for 114 days already served in custody and was ordered to pay a $50 fine. As part of a plea agreement, a second-degree assault charge was dismissed.
The charges were filed after Willmar police officers began investigating a 3 a.m. report from two people that alleged Torres had assaulted a woman and held a gun to her head.
The two showed the officers text messages from the woman, who said Torres had a gun to her head. They also showed officers texts from Torres, who said he had forgotten to uncock the weapon after the assault and had shot himself in the leg.
The investigation revealed that Torres had gone to a residence in the northwest quadrant of the city to confront the woman over statements she had made about the relationship between Torres, another woman and a child. The woman said Torres argued with her and then held a black handgun to her head. She said the safety was off and Torres’ finger was on the trigger. The woman said the incident lasted five minutes.
Officers then proceeded to Rice Memorial Hospital, where Torres had been taken for medical attention. He claimed he had been shot during an altercation at a south Willmar business. His wound showed that the bullet entered his leg on the outer thigh and exited on the inner thigh, just above the knee. Police also examined Torres’ pants, finding a hole in the pocket liner.