Accused of stabbing her sister in a 2023 dinnertime attack, a Kila woman later received a pair of suspended sentences in Flathead County District Court.  

Prosecutors initially brought Lisa Maylynn Owens, 54, up on a felony count of assault with a weapon following the alleged Aug. 27, 2023 attack. Owens pleaded not guilty at her Sept. 21 arraignment before Judge Dan Wilson, but took a deal after skipping out on court appearances and earning a bail jumping charge.  

Under the terms of the agreement struck in May 2024, Owens was to plead guilty to felony criminal endangerment in one case and misdemeanor bail jumping in the other. Prosecutors agreed to recommend she receive a suspended five-year sentence in the former case and a suspended six-month jail sentence in the latter.  

Owens changed her plea before Wilson in June 2024. Wilson stuck to the terms of the deal at her July 2024 sentencing, ordering the sentences to run concurrently.  

Owens' sister, who summoned Flathead County Sheriff's Office deputies to a Hoffman Draw home following the alleged attack, told authorities that the two got into an argument while preparing dinner. Owens stabbed her in the elbow with a knife during the disagreement, court documents said.  

Owens allegedly admitted to the stabbing, but said her sister struck first, punching her in the head. Witnesses told investigators that the stabbing was unprovoked, though, according to court documents. 

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or [email protected].