Woman who robbed pet store, took hostage ordered to treatment

Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009 | 11:15 a.m.

Police photo

Mandy Hagen

A woman who robbed a Henderson pet store, led police on a chase and took a woman hostage at a gas station last summer was ordered released from detention center custody today for treatment at a mental health facility.

Mandy Hagen, 30, pleaded guilty but mentally ill in April to robbery, second-degree kidnapping and failure to stop on the signal of a police officer in connection with a July 13, 2008, incident at PetSmart, 531 N. Stephanie St. in Henderson, and a gas station near Nellis Boulevard and Vegas Valley Drive.

She was ordered today to spend a year at an inpatient treatment facility in Florida before sentencing on Nov. 9, 2010.

“We're sending her out of state because she has family there and, frankly, because the treatment options out-of-state are vastly superior to Nevada’s,” said David Westbrook, Hagen’s attorney. “As a public defender, I run into this situation all the time -- we don't have any place to put people who need help.”

If she successfully completes her treatment program she would likely receive probation when she is sentenced, he said.

After her release to Florida was ordered, a tearful Hagen looked at her attorneys and simply said, “Thank you. Thank you.” While in custody, her health issues have been managed and her condition has improved, Westbrook said.

As for what happened that day, Westbrook said it was due to a mental illness going untreated. It was, he said, a result of having to make “a terrible choice” as to whether to buy medication for herself or for her toddler daughter, who has autism.

“She chose to buy medicine for her autistic daughter. What came after that was a result of her not having treatment or access to medicine,” he said. “When you don't have any emphasis on treatment of the mentally ill, this kind of thing can happen.”

Westbrook praised the court and the district attorney’s office for their negotiations in the case.

"She has to get help. This is somebody who's not had a record before -- this whole case was completely atypical. What happened with her case was what happens in a community where you don't have an emphasis on health care,” he said. “You don't have an emphasis on treating anybody who is mentally ill and frankly you put all your dollars into punishment and nothing into treatment.”

The government isn’t paying for either her treatment or her transportation to Florida.

Hagen initially faced 12 charges: burglary with a firearm, robbery with a deadly weapon, three counts of first-degree kidnapping with a deadly weapon, first-degree kidnapping of a victim age 60 or older with a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon, failure to stop for police, two counts of child endangerment, battery of a victim age 60 or older with a deadly weapon and assault of a victim age 60 or older with a deadly weapon.

Hagen was gone when officers responded to the robbery at the pet store, but they spotted her car near U.S. 95 and Tropicana Avenue, an arrest report indicated.

Officers said they tried to pull her over, but she refused, so they pursued her. Police at the time said she had a handgun but it was later determined to be a pellet gun.

The chase ended at Vegas Valley Drive and Nellis Boulevard, where Hagen pulled into a gas station and stopped near a gas pump. Hagen grabbed a 70-year-old woman who was pumping gas and took her hostage, police said.

Hagen has remained in the Clark County Detention Center since her arrest. She is scheduled for release on Tuesday.

Discussion: 9 comments so far…

By rejco100

11/5/09 at 11:27 a.m.

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There is NO TREATMENT! She'll be given handfuls of brain-frying meds that don't cure anything, but turns her into a ZOMBIE, she'll be forced dailyto sit in a circle with 15 others forced there and a therapist will ask each person in the circle "How do you feel" & "Did you have any triggers today", the therapist with then dismiss everyone after 1 1/2 hours to start their chores of cleaning the Insane Asylum, and charge the TAXPAYER INSANE AMOUNTS OF MONEY for her services of asking 2 questions!
By IdiotWind

11/5/09 at 12:09 p.m.

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rejco, it sounds like you've been there before. I'm sure you know what you're talking about.
By rejco100

11/5/09 at 1:14 p.m.

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Have not been there, but I have researched these places. These Insane Asylums charge taxpayers $175,000 per year and after one year....The person IS STILL INSANE, so they charge TAXPAYERS another $195,000 for another year....AND THE PERSON IS STILL INSANE...and it goes on & on & on....

The truth is most "INSANITY" is caused by POVERTY and THE POVERTY PIMP INDUSTRY!
By rejco100

11/5/09 at 2:41 p.m.

Suggest removal

The "Treatment" program will spend ZILLIONS on her to get "BETTER" only to throw her back in the life of ABSOLUTE WELFARE POVERTY, forced to live in a horrifying ghetto, where her child is guaranteed to be a gang-banger at 8, sex offender by 14, and convicted murderer by 17, Yeah, and she's got 4 more kids by different fathers too; it's like that!
By rejco100

11/5/09 at 2:48 p.m.

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Research it!

And NOT ONE COUNSELOR this woman is passed around through will ever say "Maybe this woman needs to get REAL TRAINING to WORK and have a REAL CAREER and a life without 20 Case-Workers analyzing & dissecting every aspect of her life!"
By goingbust

11/5/09 at 2:58 p.m.

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The only treatment she should get would be the one at the end of a needle.
By sickofexcuses

11/5/09 at 3:52 p.m.

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My only problem with this plea agreement is that the defendant claims she had to make a choice between paying for her medication for a mental illness or for medication related to treating her daughter's autism... when you have medicaid for a child where does paying for medication come into play; and what medication for autism is she referring? Did the D.A.'s office even check to see that the child was covered by the state for medical services, or that there is no specific medication for the treatment of autism only medications that treat various symptoms/characteristics of autism most of which would be covered by medicaid, unless it is an alternative treatment that is not validated by replicated research on the condition?
I have no doubt in my mind that the defendant suffers from a mental illness and needs treatment, but shouldn't there be some accountability for her actions other than treatment and possibly probation? How about the employees held at gunpoint during the robbery, were they asked about her lucidity? What about the poor woman held hostage? This seems like a slap on the wrist for multiple felonies... maybe mental illness is the plea to make to receive a "get out of jail free card". Should she be locked away for life... No! Should she have to serve a little more time than is being currently speculated... Yes!
By cambridge

11/6/09 at 10:52 p.m.

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What about all the resources wasted and the fact that she left her kids alone! I wonder if the cops that risked their lives thinking the gun was real are pleased! Its funny how the media doesnt mention the success that the cops had a safe outcome. The hostage Im sure has had a rough road. I wish we could follow this freaks path. Kudos again to the cops that rescued the hostage!