Plea delayed for mom in Vegas-area crash into 2 schoolgirls

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A guilty plea to a reduced reckless driving charge was pushed back to Monday for a woman who had been accused of trying to kill two schoolgirls she blamed for fighting with her daughter at a Las Vegas-area high school.

Fatima Maria Mitchell, 36, remained in custody Wednesday while Clark County District Court Judge Tierra Jones rescheduled proceedings to allow Mitchell’s attorney to be present.

Mitchell’s attorney, Roger Bailey, said Tuesday his client faces a possible sentence of one to six years in prison for her plea to the single felony charge stemming from a March 28 crash near Basic High School in Henderson.

But Bailey said Mitchell will seek a mental health evaluation and probation under a Clark County court diversion program.

Prosecutors in the case did not immediately respond to messages.

Battery and attempted murder with use of a weapon charges against Mitchell were dropped last Monday, when she agreed in Henderson Justice Court to bypass a preliminary hearing and take the case to state court.

Police alleged that Mitchell used her vehicle as a deadly weapon. It struck a tree, a concrete sign and the two girls, who were treated at a hospital for broken bones but were expected to recover. Their ages were not made public.