Trial Begins for Former Evergreen Elementary Teacher

Update: Jordan Henderson was found guilty Jan. 5. He will be sentenced in April. He is facing four to five years in prison for each of 12 charges, or up to 60 years. A 13th charge was added at trial.

The trial for Jordan R. Henderson, 36, on 12 counts of first-degree child molestation began Dec. 2 in Pierce County Superior Court. He is a former fifth-grade teacher at Evergreen Elementary School.

Henderson was put on administrative leave Feb. 26, 2024, by the Peninsula School District after he was accused by three of his students of inappropriate touching or sexual abuse. He had worked at Evergreen since 2013.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office investigated allegations “which concerned boundary invasions, verbal statements, and potential touching,” according to PSD Superintendent Krestin Bahr in a March 15 statement to school staff and families.

Henderson was arrested April 18, 2024, and charged with nine counts of first-degree child molestation.

He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment April 19 and was released on $100,000 bail and electronic monitoring. The court ordered him not to have contact with any children but his own. He was arrested a second time at the end of May after he reportedly violated his parole by having gatherings at his home with other minors present. The court increased Henderson’s bail to $750,000, which he posted.

Investigators also said at the time they found pornography on his computer and other devices. He was banned from using internet-accessible devices.

Prosecutors filed three more first-degree molestation charges against Henderson June 26, 2024, after another student contacted investigators.

“As of July 1 (2024), Jordan Henderson is no longer an employee of the Peninsula School District. He has resigned his position,” Kris Hagel, executive director of digital learning for PSD, told KP News at the time.

The families of the students who accused Henderson are also suing PSD for allegedly failing to protect their children from him. The lawsuit was filed Sept. 20, 2024, in Pierce County Superior Court by Darrell L. Cochran and Kevin M. Hastings of Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC.

“We believe that the school district knew, or at minimum should have known, about what was occurring, and that Jordan Henderson was a danger to these young girls and was actively molesting them at various times throughout the school day,” Hastings said in a statement at the time.

PSD declined to comment on the lawsuit. According to court documents, the suit seeks a jury trial by the spring of 2026.

Editor's note: If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault, help is available immediately and anonymously at the Rebuilding Hope (Tacoma) hotline at 1-855-757-7273, or the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.