Sentencing again delayed for mom who hit teens with SUV
A sentencing hearing has again been delayed for a woman accused of intentionally striking two teen girls with her SUV near a Henderson high school in March.
District Judge Tierra Jones said she was frustrated that Fatima Mitchell’s primary defense attorney, Roger Bailey, sent another lawyer to represent her on Monday.
Two weeks ago, the sentencing hearing was delayed because Bailey said he was still waiting to hear whether Mitchell had been accepted into the District Court’s mental health court program.
“This has got to be like the 10th time that we have been back here for Mr. Bailey to try to get her into mental health court,” Jones told defense attorney Johnathan Leavitt.
Following the hearing, Leavitt said he would not comment to the Review-Journal, then added that Bailey was outside the jurisdiction.
Mitchell pleaded guilty to a felony count of reckless driving after police said she deliberately crashed her Chevy Tahoe into two teenage girls near Basic High School because she believed they had started fights with her daughter.
As part of the plea negotiations, prosecutors agreed not to oppose probation if Mitchell gets accepted into a treatment program through the mental health court. On Monday, Jones set a sentencing hearing for Sept. 12.
“And if (Bailey) has not gotten a change from mental health court, the court is going to pursue the legal options that are available for sentencing,” Jones said. “But it is going forward that day, and he better be here.”
Toward the end of the hearing, Mitchell said she wanted to fire her attorney. Jones said Bailey would need to submit a motion to withdraw from the case.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.