Man sentenced for Ephrata gang fight

EPHRATA - A man will serve three months in jail for a

gang-related fight in an Ephrata school.

Felix M. Bazan, 19, pleaded guilty to assault in the second

degree and trespassing in the first degree in Grant County Superior

Court.

EPHRATA - A man will serve three months in jail for a gang-related fight in an Ephrata school.

Felix M. Bazan, 19, pleaded guilty to assault in the second degree and trespassing in the first degree in Grant County Superior Court.

The charges didn't change as part of a plea agreement, according to court records.

Bazan had no prior criminal history, so he faced a sentencing range of three to nine months in jail, according to court records.

Grant County Superior Court Judge Evan Sperline followed the prosecutor's recommendation, sentencing Bazan to three months in jail.

"The defendant had zero felony points and not only did he plead as charged, but he also plead guilty to an added charge of criminal trespass," Prosecutor Angus Lee stated.

Sperline ordered Bazan to avoid any contact with street gangs or wear "any colors, insignia or emblem of, nor communicate his association with" his gang during the year of community custody, according to court records. The additional requirements were also recommended by the prosecutor's office.

"If he associates with the gang, or wears the gang's colors for the next two years additional jail time can be imposed. We have notified law enforcement of that condition and they will keep an eye on him," Lee stated. "This will effectively work to remove him from gang culture and gang life. The idea is that less gang association equals less gang crime."

Bazan ran into a classroom in Sage Hills Alternative School in Ephrata where a member of a rival gang was working with a teacher's aide, according to an Ephrata police report. Bazan hit the victim in the face, breaking his nose, and starting a fight in the classroom.