DALLAS _ A Grand Prairie teacher was found guilty this week of threatening in 2013 that he was capable of a Sandy Hook-like shooting during divorce-related proceedings in Oklahoma.
Christopher Arthur Durham, 46, was found guilty Monday of making obscene, threatening or harassing statements by electronic communication, a misdemeanor, following a jury trial, according to Oklahoma County court records.
Durham does not face jail time. The jury fixed his punishment at a fine of $500. His sentencing is scheduled for Friday.
Durham could not be reached for comment Tuesday. He has said that the allegations against him are false.
Durham has been on paid administrative leave from Grand Prairie Independent School District since early October, after a student at Grand Prairie Collegiate Institute looked him up online and found out about his arrest.
The verdict does not change his employment status. He has been removed from the classroom and will not be coming back, said Sam Buchmeyer, spokesman for Grand Prairie ISD.
Durham's employment is pending administrative proceedings, Buchmeyer said. His one-year probationary contract expires at the end of this school year.
Durham was accused of making threats against a judge and two attorneys. His own attorney, Chris Reser, turned him in.
Durham told Reser during a phone call that the judge and his wife's attorneys didn't realize he was "capable of doing things along the line of what just happened in Newtown, Connecticut," according to an affidavit.
Buchmeyer said the school conducted background checks and nothing came up. Durham has worked for Grand Prairie ISD since August.
Durham previously taught in Fort Worth ISD, until school officials there learned about his history. He was later allowed to resign.
District officials said they weren't required to notify parents at Polytechnic High or report what they had learned about Durham to the state. A year later, he moved on to Grand Prairie.
A Texas Education Agency investigation of Durham is pending.
