UPDATED August 1.
A teacher charged with murdering a mom and dad at a state park in Arkansas in front of their two young children formerly taught at a North Texas elementary school but was allowed to resign following allegations of “inappropriate” behavior with female students.
Andrew James McGann, 28, was arrested Wednesday by Arkansas State Police at a beauty shop in Springdale following a five-day manhunt and was charged with two counts of capital murder.
McGann is accused of killing Cristen and Clinton Brink at Devil’s Den State Park while they were hiking with their daughters, ages 7 and 9 years old.
Police say DNA found at the scene was matched to McGann’s, and they believe the crime was “random.”
He is being held without bond at the Washington County Jail.
McGann had been hired to teach at Springdale Public Schools for the upcoming school year but had not yet started working with students.
He previously taught at Sand Springs Public Schools in Oklahoma during the 2024-25 school year but resigned in May to take a job in another state, according to district officials, who added that McGann had passed a background check. McGann also reportedly taught 5th grade at Broken Arrow Public Schools in Oklahoma.
In 2022-23, McGann taught at Donald Elementary in Lewisville Independent School District, located in North Texas.
Parent Sierra Marcum posted to social media that McGann was her son’s 4th grade teacher at the school.
Marcum stated that her son and several other students witnessed McGann being “inappropriate” with little girls in the class and reported it to the principal at that time, Heather Shorter.
The mom told CBS News that her son overheard McGann tell one little girl, “If you were older, I would love to marry you.”
“McGann was allowed to resign without consequences and a statement was put out saying there was no evidence of inappropriate behavior. He was then allowed to continue teaching in Oklahoma and Arkansas,” wrote Marcum.
“To find out he was arrested for killing a mom and dad in front of their two young daughters is horrifying, but the fact that he was continuously allowed around children is the real travesty. Please listen to your kids when they tell you something is wrong or they’ve seen something happen,” she added.
Another Lewisville ISD parent, Lindsay Polyak, described specific grooming behaviors allegedly exhibited by McGann:
- Providing candy and treats “only for girls”
- Hosting lunchtime in his classroom for “special girls”
- Playing with girls during recess
- Asking girls to “sit on his lap”
- ”Tickling” girls
- Praising the looks of 4th graders
Lewisville ISD Director of Communications Samantha FitzPatrick confirmed to Texas Scorecard that McGann was employed at Donald Elementary during the 2022-23 school year and said he was “placed on administrative leave in the spring of 2023 following concerns related to classroom management, professional judgment, and student favoritism.”
FitzPatrick said McGann resigned in May 2023, after an “internal investigation” revealed that McGann’s classroom performance was “below our district’s expectations” but “found no evidence of inappropriate behavior with students.”
The district notified current and former Donald Elementary families about McGann’s arrest.
Social media posts show McGann working as a teacher for Plano ISD in August 2024.
According to state records, McGann holds valid teaching certificates in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, although his Texas and Arkansas certifications are now under review by state officials. He was first certified to teach in Texas in August 2022, the same time he began teaching in Lewisville ISD after student-teaching in Oklahoma.
Texas Education Agency data published by the Open Records Project reveals that 19 Lewisville ISD educators were reported for sexual misconduct with students from October 2021 through August 2024. McGann is not on the list.
In just the past few years, Texas Scorecard has covered hundreds of teachers accused of sex crimes involving students and other children—including Lewisville ISD elementary teacher of the year John Collett, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old female student.
Texas Education 911 exposed that thousands have been reported to the TEA for alleged educator sexual misconduct.
An unknown number of others have gone unreported to authorities.
