Ex-pastor pleads not guilty to $100,000 theft

BANGOR – The former minister of one of Bangor’s largest Protestant congregations pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the theft of more than $100,000 from the church where he served as pastor for 16 years.

The Rev. Ron Durham, 59, of Savannah, Ga., was indicted in the theft earlier this month by the Penobscot County grand jury.

The former pastor of Abundant Life Church on Outer Broadway entered his plea in 3rd District Court in Bangor before Judge Robert Murray Jr. because no Superior Court justice was available in Bangor.

Durham was released on $1,000 cash bail. A trial date has not been set.

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000. He also could be ordered to pay restitution to members of his former congregation.

Durham was not accompanied to court on Tuesday by family members, some of whom also were church employees. An unidentified woman met him at the courthouse and attended the short arraignment.

Dressed in slacks and a colorful sweater, Durham appeared to become emotional as he spoke with his attorney, Marvin Glazier of Bangor, in the courtroom a few minutes before the hearing convened. The former pastor, however, firmly answered, “not guilty,” when asked to enter his plea.

Glazier and his client declined Tuesday to speak to reporters about the case.

Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy predicted after the hearing that Durham’s trial mostly likely would be scheduled after the first of the year during the winter months. He called the case significant but “very sad.”

“There was a lot of money involved here,” Almy said. “This was a serious breach of trust. The parishioners had faith in him, and he breached that faith.”

Durham originally was scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, Oct. 27, in Penobscot County Superior Court along with the majority of the other defendants indicted in October. He had purchased his plane ticket and intended to enter his not guilty plea that day, according to his attorney.

The minister, who has been working as a substitute teacher in Savannah, Ga., was arrested there on Monday, Oct. 24, on a warrant issued by Penobscot County Superior Court. He waived extradition and was held at the Chatham County Jail in Savannah until he was brought to Bangor on Sunday.

Durham posted bail shortly after he arrived, according to Penobscot County Deputy District Attorney Michael Roberts, who is handling the case. He said Tuesday after Durham’s arraignment that he did not consider the ex-pastor a flight risk.

The day after Durham’s arrest, Roberts said that he obtained an arrest warrant shortly after the indictment was handed up on Oct. 3 because Durham lived out of state. The warrant went out in a national database, and local authorities arrested him.

Although Durham’s attorney told prosecutors that his client intended to appear in court on Oct. 27, Roberts said that he “didn’t choose to recall the warrant.”

Durham helped build Abundant Life Church from 22 members in 1987 who met in motel function rooms to a congregation of nearly 800 with a $2.5 million facility on Outer Broadway. He resigned abruptly in November 2003 after announcing that he was taking a leave of absence to undergo treatment for alcoholism.

In a letter to the congregation, the former pastor said that he had “lost the support of the main body of leadership” at the church.

His wife, Lynn Durham, also was active in church ministry. Ron Durham’s son John “Richie” Durham, 32, who worked as the church bookkeeper, and his wife, Theresa, manager of the church bookstore and a secretary, also resigned. The families sold their Bangor-area homes and relocated to Georgia, where the former pastor was raised.

Durham allegedly used the church credit card between 2000 and 2003 for travel that included cruises outside the United States, stays at hotels, restaurant meals and bar tabs, Roberts said earlier this month.

In all, the former pastor used more than $100,000 in church funds for personal use, Roberts said.

The alleged theft was uncovered last year after the church had an audit done by a Portland accounting firm.