Man sentenced for stabbing another man inside Walla Walla hospital waiting room
By Dan Thesman on Tuesday, March 31st, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – A Walla Walla man was sentenced on Tuesday to nearly six years in prison for a May 6, 2025, attempted first-degree assault in the waiting room of Providence St. Mary Medical Center. Witnesses reported that Jorge Ivan Cisneros Tovar, 32, started stabbing a male victim without warning.
Tovar will serve his time (69.75 months) in the custody of the Washington State Department of Corrections. Following his release, he will be subject to 36 months of community custody.
The sentencing follows a negotiated plea agreement between the state and the defense. During the hearing, defense attorney Rebecca Lemons highlighted Tovar’s lack of a significant felony record, noting his score was zero prior to this conviction.
Lemons also noted that while Tovar underwent evaluations for competency and diminished capacity, those findings were factored into the negotiations rather than used as a formal defense.
The court issued a 10-year no-contact order for the victim. Although most legal fees were waived due to Tovar’s indigence, restitution remains pending for the next six months. Additionally, Tovar received a formal prohibition against possessing firearms following his felony conviction.
Tovar declined to make a statement before the court prior to the imposition of the sentence.
