By KEITH UPCHURCH
kupchurch@heraldsun.com; 419-6612
DURHAM -- Crystal Gail Mangum, who falsely accused three Duke University lacrosse players of rape in 2006, now is accused of attempting to murder her boyfriend and is being held in the Durham County Jail on a $1 million bond.
Mangum, 31, was arrested about 11:55 p.m. Wednesday at a house in the 2200 block of Lincoln Street, across from the School of Education building at N.C. Central University. She made her first court appearance Thursday, where her bail was set.
Mangum's arrest garnered national attention Thursday and sparked a torrent of comments on Web sites because of her notoriety and the strong emotions that remain over the Duke lacrosse case.
Police on Thursday said she and her boyfriend had a fight and that she assaulted him. They said she filled a bathtub with clothes and set them on fire. Three children also were in the apartment at the time the fire was set, and one of the children apparently called 911.
The children at the scene were released to the custody of a family member. It was not immediately clear if the children were related to Mangum or her boyfriend, although it previously has been reported that Mangum has three children.
Mangum made an initial court appearance Thursday at the Durham County Jail.
She is charged with five counts of first-degree arson, attempted first-degree murder, assault and battery, identification theft, communicating a threat, injury to personal property, resisting a public officer and three counts of misdemeanor child abuse.
When firefighters arrived about 12:14 a.m., light smoke was coming from the single-story, wood frame duplex, according to Durham Fire Department spokeswoman Sierra Jackson. Police were already there on a domestic disturbance call when they arrived, she said.
She said fire was confined to a bathroom in the middle of the apartment, which sustained heavy smoke damage.
Firefighters spent about an hour and 25 minutes there. No one was injured.
Thursday afternoon, an empty black Lincoln car with four flat tires and a shattered windshield was in the driveway, and a leaf blower was in the front yard. The outside of the house showed little fire damage.
Anyone with information is asked to call Investigator Leslie Bond at (919) 560-4910, or CrimeStoppers at (919) 683-1200. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards for information leading to arrest in felonies. Callers never have to identify themselves.
Mangum came to national attention in 2006 after alleging that she was raped by members of the Duke lacrosse team at a party off campus for which she had been hired as a stripper.
The case unraveled, culminating with the disbarment of former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong, and state Attorney General Roy Cooper's declaration that the three accused players were innocent.
Herald-Sun reporter John McCann contributed to this report.
