Bernard Durham
Posted by: Webmaster in Coaches, Hall of Shame, High Schools, ME-FV, South Carolina, Teachers - MiscIra Bernard Durham, 37, a former in-school- suspension monitor and wrestling coach at Rock Hill High School, in Rock Hill, South Carolina pled guilty Friday to a single count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Bernard was arrested on May 9 and charged with two counts of criminal sexual conduct and three counts of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature on allegations that he sexually assaulted two female students on campus at different times over a two-month period.
Durham came to the attention of authorities when one girl went to sheriff’s deputies complaining of being sexually assaulted. During the course of that investigation deputies learned of another alleged assault that occurred earlier.
The plea deal between Durham and prosecutors owed to one alleged victim not wanting charges pressed against Durham and the second not wanting to go through the ordeal of testifying at trial.
Under the plea deal Durham will serve a three year suspended sentence, must undergo mental counseling, must perform 400 hours of community service and is prohibited from teaching or volunteering at any school and can not be alone with anyone under 18 years of age.
Durham does NOT have to register as a sex offender.
References:
Former Wrestling Coach Takes Plea Deal In Rock Hill Sex Assault Cases (11/30/07)
Background:
Rock Hill Coach Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Girls Granted Bond (5/23/07)
Rock Hill High Wrestling Coach Charged With Sex Crimes (5/09/07)
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April 21st, 2008 at 11:53 am
I’m glad that this site exists but it sucks for the people fasely accused. Kids throw around threats like these and don’t realize the repercussions. No one added any footnotes in the article above indicating that the female ‘not wanting to go through the ordeal of testifying at a trail’ accused another coach of the same action a year earlier. Nor were there any comments from the trial prosecutor stating that there was no evidence that could lead her to conclude that this action happened other than the word of the victim who had to read her accounts of the incident from paper. As a victim of sexual abuse, I can tell you the events of my incident without a secound thought. To read it from a paper indicates that you don’t want to forget parts of the lie that you told. Asks any REAL sexual assault victim if they have to read from a script.