MISSOULA — A Kalispell resident with three felony convictions was sentenced to prison on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.
U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich says Jose Angel Estrello was ordered to serve 37 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release after law enforcement recovered 10 firearms from his home after three incidents involving firearms.
Estrello, 40, had pleaded guilty in June to being a prohibited person in possession of firearms and ammunition.
The government alleged in court documents that Estrello had three prior felony convictions — including two convictions for robbery in California — and was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
In July 2022, Flathead County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of shots fired near McMannamy Draw and met with Estrello. Estrello was hostile toward the deputies and made comments about getting an AR-15 to defend himself against law enforcement, a news release states.
The next day, sheriff’s deputies responded to a disturbance involving a weapon in a campground. Deputies learned that Estrello exchanged words with another person about a parking spot, pulled a handgun out of his pocket and stated, “This is how we take care of this in Compton.”
Deputies responded to a third incident involving road rage near Kalispell and determined that Estrello had pointed a gun at another family. In August 2022, law enforcement searched Estrello’s residence and located 10 firearms, seven magazines and assorted ammunition.
U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided over the sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer S. Clark prosecuted the case. The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation.
