A man from Connell that admitted to stabbing his 5 year old niece in the stomach, has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of third-degree assault.

That man, Garcia Romero, has been ordered to serve 1 1/2 years in state prison. Then another year of supervision and he must stay away from his niece for 5 years.

Romero must also pay the city of Connell $12,162 for his medical expenses.

The 1 1/2 year sentence, which seems short to me, is actually longer then the standard range for third-degree assault, according to reports.

Romero stabbed his niece with a knife in a backroom of a house in Connell back in 2017 on Valentines Day.

The 5 year old girl, that is 6 now, was excited to see her uncle and had just hugged him before he stabbed her in the stomach with a knife.

The girls Grandmother, Teresa Romero, was talking with a friend in the kitchen when she heard the 5 year old girl scream.

Teresa Romero ran back into the room and found Garcia Romero standing over the girl with a bloody knife.

Romero dropped the knife and ran away, turning himself in later at a nearby hotel.

Prosecutors had originally charged Romero with first-degree attempted murder and said he acted with premeditated intent.

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