HOLLIDAYSBURG — A city man who stabbed a woman with kitchen scissors during an argument took a plea agreement and was sentenced Monday to two- to 23.5-months’ incarceration in the Blair County Prison.

Ralph Allen McConnell, 26, was initially charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault, two misdemeanor counts of simple assault, a misdemeanor count of recklessly endangering another person and a summary harassment charge after striking the victim in the face three times before stabbing her with a pair of scissors.

McConnell appeared alongside Chief Public Defender Julia Burke for a trial list review hearing in front of Judge Jackie Atherton Bernard on Monday.

During the hearing, Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks told Bernard that they had reached an agreement with McConnell and Burke to resolve the case. He said McConnell would be pleading guilty to a single felony count of aggravated assault in exchange for a county jail sentence of about two to 23.5 months. All other charges against McConnell would then be withdrawn.

Weeks also said McConnell would need to undergo drug and alcohol and a mental health evaluation before he is paroled.

Bernard asked Weeks how the victim felt about the deal, to which Weeks said that the last time the DA’s Office had been in contact with her, she “didn’t want to see anything be done” except for McConnell to receive treatment.

Burke asked Bernard for McConnell to be credited with time served from Jan. 25, 2026.

When given the opportunity to speak on his own behalf, McConnell chose to stay silent.

In addition to the sentence, Bernard ordered McConnell to pay the cost of prosecution, a $100 fine, not to own a firearm and undergo drug and alcohol and mental health evaluations. All other charges were then withdrawn and dismissed.

The case was filed against McConnell in late January 2026 after Altoona police responded to a residence along the 800 block of 25th Street for a reported stabbing.

On scene, the victim told officers she and McConnell

were arguing when he punched her in the face three times. The victim fled to the kitchen and McConnell followed, grabbing a pair of kitchen scissors, the police report states.

The victim continued to flee McConnell but there was ultimately a struggle, during which McConnell tried to stab the victim with the scissors. McConnell succeeded in cutting the victim’s left hand, the report states.

In an interview, the victim’s roommate told officers he heard McConnell and the victim having a loud argument and saw them pushing each other. He also said he heard the victim tell McConnell “go ahead, f**king stab me.” When asked for his side of the story, McConnell gave officers multiple versions and was incoherent, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor-Musselman is at 814-946-7458.