A former teacher, accused of killing a couple at an Arkansas state park last month, reportedly exhibited “red flags” during his tenure as a school teacher and had previously been placed on administrative leave before the Devil’s Den incident.
As CrimeOnline initially reported, Andrew James McGann, 28, is charged with two counts of capital murder for the deaths of Clinton Brink, 43, and Cristen Brink, 41.
Police discovered the couple stabbed to death on June 26, at Devil’s Den State Park in West Fork, Arkansas. The couple reportedly died defending their young daughters, ages 7 and 9, who managed to escape without injury.
Police arrested McGann a few days later at a Springdale hair salon, around 3o miles from the state park.
McGann reportedly did not resist arrest as police removed a black and white haircut cape and placed him in handcuffs.
McGann Switched Teaching Positions Several Times
In the spring of 2023, while McGann was employed at Donald Elementary School in Flower Mound, Oklahoma, the school placed him on administrative leave, as reported by the Associated Press.
A representative for the Lewisville Independent School District reportedly stated that McGann was placed on leave due to concerns over classroom management, professional judgment, and favoritism toward certain students.
McGann stepped down from his position in Lewisville in May 2023, as confirmed by the district.
The next academic year, he accepted a teaching position for fifth grade in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, before transitioning to a role in Sand Springs, another district near Tulsa, from the summer of 2024 until May 2025.
FOX 7 Austin reports that officials from both districts confirmed that McGann cleared all background checks.
He was scheduled to start work at Springdale Public Schools on August 11.
Parents React
A parent of a student in McGann’s fifth-grade class recalled that McGann typically appeared “reserved” and “not super friendly,” describing their initial meeting as “just off-putting.”
“He wouldn’t look at me really, wouldn’t talk to me. He would only really talk to the kids, and he would just walk away,” Kyle Swanson said. “I don’t know, it was a strange interaction.”
Sierra Marcum, whose son was in McGann’s fourth-grade class, told AP that McGann appeared “pretty cold” and seemed “disinterested in his students.”
Marcum reported that her son frequently came home upset over McGann’s behavior, leading her to raise these issues with the school principal.
Parent Lindsay Polyak told NewsNation that her son, 10, noticed favoritism toward girls in the class.
“There were red flags,” Polyak said. “My son would say [McGann] liked to play tag at recess; he plays Truth or Dare with the girls. And then I start hearing these things like he’s giving out candy. He gives candy out in class, but, really, it’s for the girls.”
“They flocked to him,” she said.
Arraignment Scheduled
Meanwhile, McGann made his first court appearance last week in Washington County, where he learned the charges against him.
ASP Director Col. Mike Hagar said Thursday that the attacks appeared to be random in nature, and that there is no evidence that the couple’s daughters were the intended targets.
“It appears to be a completely random event,” Hagar said. “We have no reason to believe there was any known association between our suspect and our victims.”
McGann remains behind bars without bail. He’s scheduled to be arraigned August 25.
Check back for updates.
[Feature Photo: James Andrew McGann/Washington County Detention Center and the Brinks/Facebook]
