Judge orders mental health treatment for woman accused of attempted kidnapping at hospital

PUYALLUP, Wash. (KOMO) — The woman accused of trying to kidnap a young child from a hospital waiting room has been ordered by a judge to undergo mental health treatment for 90 days.

Sharie Atkins was arrested for attempted kidnapping and assault following the Dec. 9 incident at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup. Responding officers said multiple people had to step in to pry the child from her arms.

Atkins did not appear in court on Tuesday as a judge ordered her into 90 days of mental health treatment to help address her ability to stand trial.

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According to Atkins’ behavioral health records, she “meets criteria for a diagnosis of unspecified schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorder.”

Atkins was previously admitted to Western State Hospital earlier this year and has also been through substance abuse treatment and treatment for PTSD.

Court records state she recently tested positive for drugs including fentanyl, and doctors stated, “It is unclear whether these symptoms are indicative of genuine psychosis, extensive substance use, or residual effects of intoxication.”

This is not the first time Atkins has been ordered into mental health treatment.

Court records outline Atkins’ history of unstable behavior, substance abuse, and a possible psychosis disorder – including an incident in December 2023 where she “was captured on security video using a metal bowl and tire iron to break $5,600 worth of windows at Clover Creek Elementary.”

That same month, Pierce County deputies were also called to her home for a disturbance, and she told them she “believed that Donald Trump was her father and that she had sensitive documents and materials pertaining to some unspecified event.”

Atkins was also arrested in December 2023 for terrorizing neighbors in the Frederickson area as she broke out windows with an axe and pointed a lighter that looked like a gun at people.

“Given everything that there was, it just seems so silly that somebody can go and do this amount of damage and this crazy of a thing and get a slap on the hand,” said Dani Dean, who was a victim in the December 2023 incident.

Atkins was ordered to get mental health treatment back then, too, and ultimately pleaded guilty to malicious mischief. She was sentenced to 60 days behind bars with credit for time served.

“Absolutely I feel like there could have been more done,” Dean said. “Too many times, people with mental health don’t get the help that they need, and they’re just released, just to have something happen again.”

Now, Atkins is back in mental health treatment yet again as doctors see if she responds to any treatment or antipsychotic medication.