Woman sent to federal prison for lying to FBI following Durham deputy's shooting

A Durham woman has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for lying to authorities investigating the shooting of an off-duty Durham County deputy a year ago.

Someone in a Hyundai Sonata pulled up next to the deputy at the intersection of Mineral Springs and Fletcher’s Chapel roads on Nov. 14, 2020, and fired several shots into his car before driving off. The deputy recovered from his injuries.

Jerry Lamont Harris Jr., 26, and Armand Lewis-Langston, 23, both of Durham, are charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury in the case.

Investigators said one of the men was later seen driving a car belonging to Chakera Alexandria Mangum. When FBI agents questioned Mangum about the car and the man's whereabouts, she "made multiple false statements ... despite multiple warnings from federal investigators that lying to a federal agent during the course of an investigation is a federal crime," according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of North Carolina.

“Here is a simple truth we all learned as children: Lying is a bad decision with serious consequences,” Acting U.S. Attorney Sandra Hairston said in a statement. “Lying to federal law enforcement agents is a felony that can land you in jail, even if you had no part in the crime being investigated.”

Mangum, 29, pleaded guilty in March to lying to the FBI. In addition to her prison sentence, she must serve three years on probation, during which she cannot associate with gang members.