Audrain County man convicted of child sex abuse

A jury in Audrain County convicted a Mexico man of child sex abuse on Monday after deliberating for about an hour.

Dayton Durham, 36, was found guilty of statutory sodomy, child molestation, child enticement, and endangering the welfare of a child. The crimes happened in Mexico in 2011 and 2012; the victim was a girl from Audrain County.

Durham’s sentencing has been scheduled for September 16. He facees a minimum of five years in prison, and a maximum sentence of 112 years.

“Dayton Durham took advantage of his trust and access to a beautiful vibrant young girl and used her for his own perverted ends,” Audrain County Prosecutor Jacob Shellabarger said. “He took no responsibility and showed no remorse in committing these acts, and his actions divided a family and put a young girl in a position where she felt her whole world depended on keeping silent about what Dayton Durham did to her. Most of us can’t imagine that kind of mental & physical pain and pressure that places on a child, and how damaging it can be.”