Gypsum carjacker to serve 20 years
EAGLE — Forest has made his last run.
Forest Mangus admitted he stole a car and robbed a motel, both at gunpoint, and will spend 20 years in prison reconsidering his life choices.
Mangus, 32, pleaded guilty to two counts of felony theft, carjacking and armed robbery, both crimes of violence because he used a gun.
Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Wiard said he has a long history of misdemeanor convictions. He has one prior felony conviction for motor vehicle theft.
The carjacking victim, who asked not to be identified, said she’s still dealing with the trauma of having a gun held to her head as Mangus stole her car.
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“My life was changed forever. The trauma I experienced that night haunts me in ways that are obvious to friends and family. As much as I have resisted being labeled a victim, my life has focused on overcoming the trauma I encountered that night, and the fear that has consumed me,” she said.
She asked that Mangus be locked away to keep others from being victimized the way she was, or something worse.
“No one should be able to do something like this to anyone. No one has that right,” she said.
She asked the court to try to make sure Mangus gets into a treatment program to help him overcome his addictions.
What happened
On Feb. 10, Mangus donned a mask and tried to rob the Comfort Inn in Eagle and held the innkeeper at gunpoint, demanding money. The innkeeper refused, Wiard said.
His getaway car, a maroon and silver Subaru hatchback, was in the nearby City Market parking lot. Mangus jumped in it and went to Gypsum, where he found his carjacking victim in the Big Dog car wash, soaping down her 2011 Subaru Outback.
He approached her, pulled his handgun and held it to her head while he took her money and her car, police said.
He drove the car to Glenwood Springs and gave it to his girlfriend. They had the car for a couple days and eventually abandoned it, police said.
Twelve days later, on Saturday, Feb. 22, the Rifle Police Department were notified by a resident who reported a 2011 white Subaru Outback station wagon had been left unattended for several days in a residential area of town.
A joint investigation involving the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office, Rifle Police Department, Eagle Police Department and the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office led to Mangus, who was already in the Garfield County jail.
Staff Writer Randy Wyrick can be reached at 970-748-2935 and rwyrick@vaildaily.com.
