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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Trip to concert prompts felony warrant

Man had been prohibited from leaving Washington

A Spokane man is wanted on a felony warrant after his unauthorized trip to a concert in Montana was publicized because his uncle was killed outside the show.

Stafone Nicholas Fuentes, 26, was awaiting trial on witness tampering charges when he was arrested on misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct charges at the hospital where his uncle, Angelo Lorenzo Fuentes, 41, also of Spokane, was pronounced dead from a traumatic head injury.

Missoula police believe the elder Fuentes was mortally wounded during a fight outside the concert late June 17 at the Missoula Hell Gate Elks Lodge.

Sgt. Travis Welsh of the Missoula Police Department said investigators are seeking witnesses in Fuentes’ death, some of whom may be from Spokane.

“It’s a matter of tracking down people who were at the concert and may have been in a position to have seen what happened,” Welsh said. “Nobody is coming forward and trying to help us with this.”

Welsh said Stafone Fuentes has not cooperated with the investigation either but is not considered a suspect. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct and assault charges the same day he was arrested at the hospital and was released from jail, Welsh said.

Spokane County prosecutors cited the incident when they sought a warrant for Fuentes.

Fuentes was prohibited from leaving Spokane County, among other conditions, when he was allowed to leave jail while awaiting trial for tampering with a witness. Fuentes is accused of mailing a letter to the alleged victim in a domestic violence case against his friend, 27-year-old jail inmate Jesse Luna, that asked her to recant her report to police.

A no-bail warrant was issued July 11 after prosecutors learned of Fuentes’ trip to Montana.

Police consider him a gang associate and say he has a long and violent criminal history; Crime Stoppers has offered a reward for tips that lead to his arrest.

Welsh said the Fuenteses were attending a hip-hop show at the Elks club when a fight broke out outside between 11 p.m. and midnight.

Detectives suspect they know what sparked the fight, “but it’s not something that we can release at this time,” Welsh said.

They tried to contact a “person of interest” in Western Washington “but he has elected not to speak with us,” Welsh said.

“Nobody should assume that we know everything,” Welsh said. “If there are people out there that have any knowledge of what happened or saw anything I would appreciate if they could call us.”