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Duke lacrosse accuser again charged with assaulting boyfriend

When asked to identify a woman suspected of stabbing his uncle early Sunday, a man told a 911 dispatcher in Durham, "It's Crystal Mangum. THE Crystal Mangum."

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DURHAM, N.C. — For the second time in 14 months, the Durham woman who falsely accused three Duke University lacrosse players of rape has been charged with assaulting a man with whom she was living.

Crystal Mangum, 32, was charged Sunday with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury. A judge set a $300,000 bond for her on Monday.

Police said Mangum stabbed Reginald Daye, 46, in the torso with a kitchen knife during a dispute at 3507 Century Oaks Drive early Sunday.

Daye was taken to Duke University Hospital to be treated for serious injuries, and Mangum was arrested in a nearby apartment.

His condition was unknown Monday, although friends said he is recovering from his wound.

"If you do get out of jail, you're to have nothing to do with the victim at this time," District Judge Nancy Gordon told Mangum during a brief court hearing. "Stay away from him. Don't text him. Don't Facebook him. Don't have somebody do it on your behalf. Stay away means stay away."

Jackie Wagstaff, a former member of the Durham County Board of Education and the Durham City Council who is a Mangum supporter, said Mangum isn't a flight risk and should be eligible for a lower bond.

"If she were a flight risk, she would be gone. She's gone through two traumatic situations, and she hasn't left Durham yet," Wagstaff said.

A man who said he was Daye's nephew called 911 to report the stabbing, saying it occurred while Daye and his girlfriend were arguing about rent money. The caller said police came to the apartment complex earlier while the couple argued, but the stabbing occurred after the officers left.

When asked for a description of the girlfriend, the caller said, "It's Crystal Mangum. THE Crystal Mangum."

He then added, "I told him she was trouble from the beginning."

In March 2006, Mangum claimed three white players on the Duke lacrosse team trapped her inside a bathroom at 610 N. Buchanan Blvd., where she was performing as a stripper at a team party, and raped and sexually assaulted her.

Her story about the incident was so inconsistent that state officials later declared the players innocent, saying there was no credible evidence against them.

Former Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong was later disbarred for withholding DNA evidence from defense attorneys in the case.

The three lacrosse players and some of their former teammates are suing Nifong and a police investigator, claiming their rights were violated during the case.

In February 2010, police arrested Mangum after an altercation between her and a different boyfriend. In that incident, she was accused of assaulting the man in front of her children and setting some of his clothes on fire.

She was later convicted of child abuse, injury to personal property and resisting a public officer in the case, but prosecutors dismissed an arson charge after a jury couldn't reach a verdict.

Friends said Mangum and her children moved in with Daye shortly after the couple started dating and that she was paying part of the rent on the apartment. Her supporters said that her children weren't with her early Sunday. They declined to say where the children are, only that they are safe.

"A lot of stuff went through my head (when I heard about her arrest), but the reality of it is, like I said, it's just hearsay," Wagstaff said . "At this point, it's just hearsay because I don't know what the story is."

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