James Andrew McGann: Devil's Den Suspect was a Former 4th-Grade Teacher Who was Allegedly Inappropriate Towards Little Girls in the Class
Special agents with the Arkansas State Police (ASP) arrested McGann of Springdale for his alleged involvement in the double homicide that took place on Saturday.
McGann, 28, is accused of killing Clinton Brink, 43, and Cristen Brink, 41, while they hiked with their daughters. Their daughters, aged 7 and 9, are now with family. He is being charged with two counts of capital murder.
McGann was Formerly Employed at an Oklahoma School
McGann was working at a local school in Arkansas and had recently moved to the area. According to police, McGann was formerly employed at Spring Creek Elementary School in Broken Arrow during the 2023-2024 academic year and is listed on the Sand Springs Public Schools website as an employee. His name appeared to have been removed as of early Thursday.
"The man who was arrested in Arkansas for the murders at Devils Den State Park was a teacher for Broken Arrow Public Schools during the 23/24 school year. He was a 5th grade teacher at Spring Creek Elementary during the 23/24 school year and left of his own accord to work out of state. As with all employees hired by the district, he was subjected to and passed the required background checks prior to being hired. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family affected by this unimaginable act of violence," read a statement obtained from the school.
Parent Claims McGann Resigned from Texas School After Being Reported for Inappropriate Conduct Towards Girls in the Class
After McGann's arrest, a woman took to Facebook to point out that McGann was a former 4th-grade teacher at Donald Elementary School in Lewisville, Texas. The mother claimed McGann was reported to the principal for "inappropriate behavior" towards "several little girls in the class."
"He was allowed to resign without any consequence and even went on to continue teaching in another district," the mother, identified as Sierra Marcus, wrote in the Facebook post. "Finding out he went on to kill a couple in front of their two little girls is horrifying and the fact that there were warning signs and he was continually allowed around children is a travesty."
Another parent also commented on the post claiming their daughter was also in McGann's class at Donald Elementary. "I always had a bad feeling about him," the parent wrote.
The motive behind the double homicide is not yet known. However, McGann's alleged inappropriate conduct towards girls has sparked speculation that he may have gone after the Arkansas couple's young girls and the parents were killed as they tried to stop him or fight back.
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