A Tacoma lawyer convicted by a jury of stalking, harassing and extorting a year-old college student he met through a dating website and then represented as her attorney was sentenced Friday to nearly 10 years in prison. Christopher Jason Paul Hendry, 45, was found guilty in December of three counts of stalking, two counts of second-degree extortion, felony harassment with threats to kill, 11 counts of violating a protection order, and five counts of violating a court order.
Hendry, a U. Army veteran, earned his license to practice law in and previously was the sole practitioner of Hendry Law, a firm focused on personal injury, estate planning and employment law. The punishment Pierce County Superior Court Judge Jennifer Andrews imposed β nine years and nine months β included multiple sentencing enhancements because jurors found he committed felony stalking, extortion and harassment with sexual motivation.
Hendry will be required to register as a sex offender, and his defense attorney said Friday that he will inevitably lose his license with the Washington State Bar Association. Arguing for a lengthier sentence of about The victim was attending a college in Pierce County, and she was charged with DUI the month after she began talking with Hendry.
He offered to represent her pro bono. From there, the victim previously told The News Tribune , their relationship began to spiral into uncomfortable territory. In February , the woman tried to end her relationship with Hendry, and she began to receive harassing text messages and emails. White finished reading it to the court. She also said she believed the evidence in the case was overwhelming. Texas executed Steven Nelson for the murder of the Rev. Clint Dobson Wednesday night.
It is the second execution of the year in the nation. The suspected perpetrator also died. Gymgoers have recently been targets in a rash of thefts, and police are asking for help to identify the group of suspects.
