Muskogee Man Facing Sexual Abuse Charges

By Tara Vreeland, The News on 6

MUSKOGEE, OK -- A Muskogee man is in jail in Pennsylvania accused of sexually abusing a teen he met on the Internet.

But 37-year-old Roger Bingham is also being held on complaints that he sexually abused juveniles in Oklahoma.

Bingham faces 26 counts of oral sodomy in Muskogee County.

"The 26 counts that we have alleged thus far are based upon, we've alleged one incident per weekend since August of 2008," Muskogee District Attorney Larry Moore said.

Prosecutors aren't saying much because the victims are teenage boys.

Bingham is a former chief fiscal officer of Eastern Workforce Investment Board Inc. He also coached Little League and some American Legion neighborhood teams.

Muskogee County authorities obtained a search warrant for Bingham's house Thursday morning.

"As far as what was found there that's under investigation at this time," said Sgt. Brad Holt of Muskogee Police. "We can't give out too much information for the simple fact we don't want to jeopardize the case."

A preliminary hearing was held Wednesday on the accusations out of Pennsylvania.

According to an affidavit, Bingham chatted online with a 15-year-old boy and then met the boy at a skating rink. The teen told police they went to a motel, where Bingham performed sexual acts on him. The boy then said he had to leave or his parents would be mad.

Police interviewed the teen at home. They then set up a time and place to meet with Bingham via the boy's instant messenger screen name. Bingham showed up at the location and was arrested.

The district attorney in Muskogee says they are investigating the 26 counts but there could be more.

"There could be more counts," Moore said. "There could be changes in the counts. As of today, we have 26 counts that we have singled out and specified for purposes of issuing the warrant."

Bingham was fired from his position at Eastern Workforce Investment.

His bond is set at $125,000 on several charges including unlawful contact with a minor and statutory sexual assault.