Man sentenced for attacking roommate

EPHRATA — A Moses Lake man was sentenced to nearly two years in prison for attacking his roommate when the man asked for his keys back.

Jose M. Oliva, 27, pleaded guilty to assault in the third degree and harassment in Grant County Superior Court.

Charges of assault in the second degree and theft in the third degree were dropped as part of a plea agreement.

Grant County Superior Court Judge John Antosz sentenced the man to one year and 10 months in prison, the maximum end of the sentence range. The range, determined by Oliva’s new convictions plus seven prior convictions, started at a year and five months. Prosecutors recommended the high end of the range, according to court records.

Oliva was moving out of a trailer he shared with the victim when the October 2008 incident started. When the victim asked for his keys, Oliva claimed he owned the trailer and started punching the victim in the face. Oliva switched to choking the man, slamming the victim’s head through a window, according to a Moses Lake police report.

When Oliva pulled out a pocket knife, threatening to kill the man if he called the police, the victim escaped, running to a neighbor’s residence, according to the police report. Oliva fled the scene.