Woman, 19, pleads guilty in DUI crash that killed 2

By Cara McCoy

Tuesday, April 6, 2010 | 10:18 a.m.

A 19-year-old woman accused in a Henderson crash that killed two people pleaded guilty today in district court.

Anita Mann pleaded guilty to two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in death in connection with the Feb. 16 crash on Horizon Ridge Parkway that killed Karen Hicks and Louis Madden, both 65, of Henderson.

Shackled and wearing blue detention center garb, Mann said few words during the hearing today in front of District Court Judge Valorie J. Vega.

When asked how she wanted to plead, she responded, “Guilty, your honor.”

Members of her family and the victims’ families were in the courtroom.

Prosecutors said under a plea agreement, the charges she pleaded to weren’t reduced down and are the same charges a grand jury indicted her on earlier this month. Prosecutors agreed not to argue at her sentencing, but family members of the victims will be permitted to speak.

Mann’s attorney, Steve Wolfson, declined to comment after the hearing.

Sylvia Pierce, Madden’s sister, said after the hearing she was glad the case didn’t go to trial.

“We’re very happy she pled guilty. We just want it to be over with,” she said.

Sentencing will be up to the judge. The maximum term on each count is 20 years, and the judge could run each count consecutively. At a minimum, two years behind bars is required on each count.

A sentencing date was set for June 8.

Mann is being held in the Clark County Detention Center on $240,000 bail. Police said Mann’s blood-alcohol level at the time of the wreck was .26, which would have been more than three times the legal limit for a drinker of legal age.

At the time she was arrested, Mann was a private first class in the Nevada National Guard. She graduated from Foothill High School in 2008.