Boise woman accused of attacking a Jewish woman undergoing a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation

Marguerite Haragan, 58, of Boise — accused of harassing a Jewish woman because of her religion — is undergoing a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation before her next court appearance, according to court documents.

Her preliminary hearing was originally set for Feb. 26, but was rescheduled to March 24. At a preliminary hearing, prosecutors seek to convince a judge that a case is worth advancing to district court, where felonies are tried.

Haragan was charged with two felony counts of malicious harassment. She reportedly verbally harassed a Jewish woman — identified in court documents by her initials, "AG" — for an ongoing period. That culminated in violence on Feb. 5, according to court documents.

According to the Ada County prosecutor handling the case, Haragan showed up at AG's residence and began banging on her window and yelling that AG "better believe in Jesus." When AG went outside to ask Haragan to leave, Haragan reportedly slapped her, pulled her hair, yanked her to the ground and began kicking her in the stomach and thighs. On Feb. 7 she allegedly returned to AG's home and scratched a phrase into the mailbox including the word "death. "

Patrick Haragan, Marguerite Haragan's brother, told the Statesman that her actions were not reflective of bigotry, but of a mental illness his sister has dealt with for decades.

This story was originally published February 27, 2015 at 12:53 PM with the headline "Boise woman accused of attacking a Jewish woman undergoing a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation."