GASTON, Ind. -- Police say a Delaware County woman and her daughter are lucky to be alive after a criminal entered their home by pretending to be an officer.
John Mangus, 45, was arrested on preliminary charges of impersonating a police officer, rape, strangulation and residential entry.
Police say Monday night he came to Gaston, Indiana, with friends, but got into an argument. He allegedly then walked up to a woman's home, knocked on her door and told her he was a police officer.
"She thought something may have been wrong or something, so she opened up the door, and when she opened up the door she saw it wasn't a police officer," said Gaston Police Chief Carl Barber. "He had plain clothes on. A pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She tried to shut the door and he forced his way in."
Police say Mangus sexually assaulted the woman while her child was in the other room. She escaped an hour later by asking to go outside to smoke.
Police said Mangus was behind bars, but not cooperating with their investigation.
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