A brutal attack.
Maureen Hvegholm is a mom, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend to animals. She turns 86 years old in July.
This is her story. The positions stated here are the opinion of her family given their experiences with the City of Sparks, Policing Agencies, and review of the evidence. All information shared here is public record. We have made it available for those who visit this site to decide what they are witnessing. This story continues to develop and this page is updated regularly.
UPDATE: The City of Sparks hired Fairfax Consulting Group out of Las Vegas, NV, to investigate two separate incidents involving Timothy Egan. The City of Sparks violated the Nevada Public Records Act, refusing to release the final report to the public. When Maureen's daughter sued for access to the report, it was finally released. The report vindicates Maureen, identifying Egan as the assailant. View the report here.
On December 8, 2022, around 2:20 p.m., Maureen was assaulted in a public alleyway behind her home in Sparks, Nevada, as she laid out a cardboard box for shelter and food for several feral cats she has tended to for years. Maureen has lived in this neighborhood for roughly 17 years and in this time she has been a caretaker of animals and the occasional homeless person who frequents this alley. This is an old part of Sparks and most people have moved from this area, leaving it for shinier neighborhoods. But Maureen lives in Section 8 Housing, so this tired neighborhood remains her home. A home that allows her to have her independence.
Also backing up to this alleyway is Sparks Fire Station No. 1. The Firemen of this Station do not like Maureen. They call her the Crazy Cat Lady and do not use this term fondly. They have a history of harassing her because she will not stop feeding these cats in the public alleyway. It should be noted, it's not a crime to feed feral cats. Maureen is responsible for the feral cats being humanely trapped, altered (so they do not reproduce), and released back into the neighborhood - because this is the city ordinance. There are 3 feral cats Maureen feeds. Yes, count them...3. Making the outrageousness of Sparks Fire Station No. 1's obsession with Maureen border on the need for psychiatric help.
On a cold winter afternoon on December 8, during a particularly brutal winter here in Northern Nevada, fireman paramedic Tim Egan committed an unprovoked assault upon Maureen as she was minding her own business feeding cats.
We cannot know what Timothy Egan was thinking when he decided to harass and then attack her. Perhaps he thought it would be fun to mess with an old woman. Maybe he thought he'd look like a hot shot to his brothers inside the station. Or maybe he is simply not a well person. We do know, thanks to the fire station's camera, when Egan startled her and then as she struggled to grab her belongings back, he leg-swept and threw her face down into the concrete.
It was a brutal attack and we should warn you it is difficult to watch as this 84-year-old woman bounces off the concrete pavement.
Maureen at the Renown Medical Center Emergency Room after the assault.
Maureen survives on roughly $1500 in monthly social security benefits and often the assistance of her children to help offset basic living expenses. So it is understandable that Maureen was both startled and distressed when Egan began grabbing items she purchased with her limited funds to throw them in the garbage dumpster. It was cruel.
What happened in the following hours was a sad and disgraceful display by Sparks Fire Station No. 1, Fireman Paramedic Tim Egan, the Sparks Police Department, and the Sparks City Attorney. It would ultimately wind it's way up to the Sparks City Council who would participate in the same disgraceful manner.
Timothy Egan has changed his story numerous times. His story varies between his statements to police, his police statement, his affidavit and legal reply to Maureen's legal complaint. His behavior in this regard is compulsive in nature. He says he put his arm out because he was afraid of the 84-year-old woman he thought was homeless, and in doing so she fell. He stated that he told her don't get up because she might be hurt and he would get help. Although he never brought help and it seems implausible that he was in fear of her given her advanced age and arthritis.
Maureen's hands are severely damaged by arthritis.
Maureen says she attempted to rise and wanted to flee because she was afraid and as Egan hovered above her he told her if you get up I'll F-ing put you down again. Observe Timothy Egan's body language in the video as he hovers over Maureen. Notice she falls back to the ground after attempting to rise as though she is in fear. We are inclined to believe this is exactly what he told her as she lay there scared, confused, and injured. We'll let you watch the video and decide.
The assault video follows. We encourage you to view it in full screen. The assault begins after Egan drives his truck into the fire station parking lot, is gone for a while, and returns to harass Maureen. The exchange takes place in the upper left corner of your screen. You will note that when Egan comes into her view at the dumpster, she walks clear of him, going wide rather than too close to him - she does so twice. It demonstrates Maureen was attempting to not get too near this stranger. Maureen has had the fireman of this station harass her in the past. They have threatened her, repeatedly lied to the police about her. In February 2022, one fireman put a fist in her face.
Note the school bus stopped in the street at the end of the alley as the assault occurs.
ASSAULT VIEW ONE
Full unedited video of assault captured by Sparks Fire Dept. No. 1 camera
ASSAULT VIEW TWO
Video of assault captured by Sparks Fire Department Dept. No. 1 camera
In this video the assault is nearly obstructed but not so much that you can see Maureen bounce off the pavement
The majority of support has been strong for Maureen. However, we have seen a small percentage of individuals who are not sympathetic to Maureen because the person involved wears a uniform. It is a sad testament that because one simply wears a uniform they are given a pass for their indiscretions. A threatening note was left taped to a wall in the alleyway across from Maureen's back fence. This has been cause for concern for Maureen's safety. The same is true for no police agencies bringing forth any charges against the assailant.
As a result of the assault, Maureen's life changed in an instant. She is experiencing whole-body nerve pain, severe migraines, confusion, balance problems/dizziness, anxiety, and sleeplessness. In the past several weeks she has fallen twice in her home hitting her face, and requiring urgent care visits. She is suffering from chronic pain and has seen numerous doctors and undergone tests and pain injections, some of them highly painful for a person of her age. This continues until we know what we are looking at. But her reality is that she lives in constant fear because no agency in authority has taken action over what happened to her.
Since the assault, her children have seen a decline in her ability to remember things. This once fiercely independent elderly woman is a shell of her former self. The weight of what we as her children are dealing with is enormous. It is taxing upon our family as a whole because none of us are wealthy people and we work full-time at our advanced ages. It has been overwhelming for the family unit. We are determined to continue to fight for Maureen and to ensure this does not happen to someone else's mother or grandmother.
We believe our local government has closed ranks to protect one of its own while casting aside an old woman. Something bad happened to Maureen. Initial mistakes were made in handling it, allowing the situation to snowball and become too difficult to come back from. So the mishandling has only escalated. It is shameful and seems the ultimate abuse of power. The band of brothers may be able to extend the courtesy of not giving one of their own a traffic citation. But this cannot apply to assault and battery.
Maureen was a stay-at-home mom until she left an often abusive alcoholic husband. She always had grit. A pick-yourself-up-the-bootstraps kind of girl, she learned to drive at 32 years old. She joined the workforce full-time at 34 years old after spending her married years as a stay-at-home mom. She was a beautiful vibrant woman who was beaten down over the years by the enormous stress of single-handedly providing for 4 kids. It was a hard life. Yet her children never went without basic needs because of this woman. This woman the firemen of Sparks Fire Station No. 1 call the crazy cat lady. She has a name. It's Maureen.
Maureen circa 1970 with her children (left to right) Gayla, Bryan, Perry & Marc
Maureen just before the assault with her latest great-grand-baby Auggie.
Please share Maureen's story to raise awareness of the importance of standing up for the disenfranchised and marginalized among us.
We will continue to update Maureen’s story and the pursuit of justice and you can return to this site to learn more as we update.
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice”
-- Martin Luther King
SUPPORT MAUREEN'S GOFUNDME
CONTACT
You can contact the family by completing this form.
Tel: 1-775-462-8872