Man attempted to abduct two children from Chapel Hill Montessori school
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. Aug 18 2017— Chapel Hill police on Wednesday arrested a man who they said attempted to abduct two students from a preschool.
Officers responded to a report of a suspicious person at the Montessori Academy at 1510 E. Franklin Street just after 12 p.m. after a caller told authorities a man had walked to the fence around the school and was threatening to physically harm students.
Police said Richard Donnell Mangum, 48, of Chapel Hill grabbed two students and attempted to pull them over the fence before teachers intervened.
Mangum fled the area and was arrested at a nearby Walgreens store.
Mangum was charged with two counts of felony child abduction, two counts of misdemeanor simple assault and two counts of misdemeanor communication of threats. He was being held at the Orange County jail under $40,000 secured bond.
According to the Montessori Academy’s website, the school serves students between the ages of one and six. 2
Mangum has a criminal history dating back to the 1990s, and including charges of larceny, assault on an officer and drug infractions, according to court records. He is scheduled to appear in court Thursday afternoon.
Police did not know Mangum’s motive.
WRAL
