Grand Prairie Teacher Says Oklahoma Allegations Aren't True
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
GRAND PRAIRIE (CBSDFW.COM) – The Grand Prairie teacher suspended when students uncovered his legal troubles on Google talked with CBS 11.
"People face unsubstantiated allegations all of the time," said Christopher Durham.
Durham will go to trial in November after a 2013 arrest for threatening a judge and two attorneys in Oklahoma. An affidavit provided by the Oklahoma City District Attorney's office alleged that during a divorce, Durham's own attorney turned him in, and claimed Durham said he was capable of "doing things along the line of what happened in Newtown (Connecticut)."
"The truth about this situation is… nothing like that ever happened," said Durham.
Grand Prairie ISD suspended Durham last week when students found the news stories online. One parent claimed her son heard Durham say, "Look me up, I'm famous." Durham denies making that statement.
"To suggest that I'm going to cause harm to kids is just completely absurd… and that's just out of hand," said Durham.
Before working in Grand Prairie, Durham worked for Fort Worth ISD. Officials there said Durham was forced to resign in 2015 under similar circumstance. Durham claims that this too is false.
"They shouldn't have said that," Durham said. "I'm going to call the superintendent to talk to him about that."
Grand Prairie has Durham on paid leave while they investigate.
(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
