Franklin County community reacts to arrest of two Franklin Count - WSLS 10 NBC in Roanoke/Lynchburg Va
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They are the faces of two people well known in the Franklin County community. Angela Nolen and Cathy Bennett, a teacher and nurse a Sontag Elementary School. State police arrested them for trying to hire a hit man to kill Nolen's ex husband, Paul Strickler. For folks in the area, these are two faces they never imagined would be linked to such a crime.
"Sort of makes me wonder if this is really her, you know, is this the same person I used to know," says mother, Crystal Perdue.
Perdue says Nolen taught her son. She was shocked when she looked on Facebook she would see the news and her picture next to it.
"She was a good teacher, stayed on top of stuff. She let me know when my son was acting up in school, she let me know. I liked her," says Perdue.
Police say Bennett helped hire the hit man. On Tuesday night, Nolen met an undercover agent and gave him $4,000 to kill her ex husband, and would give him another four-thousand dollars when the killing was carried out. Both women are behind bars and face felony charges of solicitation to commit murder. It is the talk of the town, and on everyone's mind, including Gary McGuire's.
"It is shocking, you just never know who is there," says McGuire.
McGuire went to Sontag Elementary School, and his grandson will be going there in September. The news doesn't make him think twice about the safety of the students, or anyone living in the area.
"There are a lot of good people at Sontag school that I know personally," says McGuire.
School officials assured folks their children were never in any danger, and nothing was done on school property.
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