OK Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting Kids During Kenya Mission Trip

Monday, July 21st 2014, 3:17 pm

By: News 9

An Edmond man is facing several charges, accused of sexually assaulting underprivileged children while on a mission trip in Africa.

According to court records, 19-year-old Matthew Durham was a volunteer at the Upendo Children's Home in Kenya.

Upendo specializes in assisting neglected Kenyan children by providing them with food, housing, clothes, school and religion. The school is funded through sponsorships and donations.

Authorities said Durham volunteered for Upendo in June of 2012, June of 2013, December of 2013, and from April 30 to June 17, 2014. During his latest trip to Kenya, Durham reportedly stayed at the children’s home in an “overflow bunk,” rather than at an offsite facility with a sponsor family where he stayed during previous visits.

During the period from April to June of 2014, authorities said Durham engaged in sexual acts with multiple children, male and female, ranging in ages from four to ten.

Durham was arrested on Thursday, July 17, and appeared before a United States Magistrate Judge in Oklahoma City late last Friday afternoon. He is held without bond and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 1.

If convicted, Durham faces up to life in prison.