Mental evaluation ordered for accused Bellagio robber

A federal magistrate ordered a mental health evaluation Friday for the man charged in the robberies of the Bellagio casino and a Las Vegas bank.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy Leen ordered the evaluation after Scott Carmitchel, a felon from Kansas, refused to answer questions in court and his court-appointed lawyer said he refused to communicate with her prior to the hearing.

“The record will reflect the defendant is non-responsive,” Leen said after Carmitchel wouldn’t even acknowledge his name in court when she questioned him.

Carmitchel, 34, shackled and dressed in jail garb with a spit mask around his neck, was wheeled in by federal marshals for the hearing. He looked down the entire time and didn’t say a word.

Leen said the mental evaluation was needed to determine whether Carmitchel is competent to stand trial and was competent at the time the alleged crimes were committed.

FBI agent Henry Schlumpf testified that he identified Carmitchel through fingerprints and photos of surveillance video at the Bellagio and the bank. Carmitchel also “absolutely” identified himself in the surveillance photos during an interview, Schlumpf said.

Carmitchel, who is accused of spending stolen money on prostitutes and a shopping spree, is facing one count of interference with commerce by robbery at the Bellagio and one count of armed bank robbery at a City National Bank branch on East Tropicana Avenue.

He is alleged to have stolen $43,500 in the Bellagio heist on July 25 and $4,355 in the July 22 bank robbery.

Earlier this week, Carmitchel was uncooperative with local authorities as they tried to get him to Las Vegas Justice Court for a series hearings on charges stemming from his July 26 arrest by Las Vegas police.

Jailers wheeled Carmitchel into Justice Court, shackled with his head covered in a spit mask and a beige blanket draped around his body.

An Aug. 13 preliminary hearing was set on local charges of robbery with the use of a deadly weapon, burglary while in possession of a firearm and grand larceny. Carmitchel also faces battery charges over his scuffling with police during his arrest.

Contact reporter Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135. Find him on Twitter: @JGermanRJ.