Woman gets $150,000 bond and released from jail after false claim to $4.5 million home

Raleigh dentist Craig Adams is in the middle of a real estate nightmare.

Last month, 5 On Your Side told you about Dawn Mangum, a mother of three who allegedly falsified documents in an attempt to take over Adams' $4.5 million home.

Mangum was arrested on a felony charge of attempting to obtain property by false pretense on Sept. 16. On Tuesday, Sept 17, she appeared in court from jail via video monitor.

Last week, a judge set Mangum’s bond at $150,000, citing the value of the home and the nature of the alleged crimes.

She posted bond and was released from jail.

In August, a deed with Mangum’s name on it was filed with the Wake County Register of Deeds, claiming she was the owner of Adams' home. Most puzzling of all, Mangum allegedly didn’t have to provide any proof of ownership before having the deed recorded – something Adams says needs to change.

“This could pretty much happen to anybody,” Adams said. “There need to be some top-down law changes, I think.”

Adams recently put his home on the market. He suspects Mangum was planning on squatting in the home and obtained the deed to complicate a eviction process.

Homeowners can set up an alert with the county, which notifies them if a deed has been filed. But even with the alert, the damage is usually already done. The Wake County Register of Deeds tells WRAL’s 5 On Your Side that once a deed is recorded, the county is unable to undo it. This means Adams will likely have to go to court to have the deed marked fraudulent.

“So many of my patients come in and say, ‘How does this happen? It’s absurd,’” Adams said.

The story gained so much attention on WRAL that it was picked up by national and international publications.

Mangum is due back in court in November.