Pierce County 5th grade teacher pleads not guilty to 9 counts of child molestation

A Key Peninsula teacher has been charged after several allegations of misconduct involving young students.

Deputies with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department arrested 34-year-old Jordan Henderson, a 5th-grade teacher at Evergreen Elementary School, on Thursday.

According to court documents, Jordan was charged with nine counts of sexual molestation involving children under 12 years old, in his classroom over a two-year period.

According to a biography for Henderson at wellspringfellowship.net, where Henderson is noted as a worship pastor and his father as lead pastor, Henderson lives in Gig Harbor.

Henderson notes of his parents, Chris and Susan, that Susan is a full time 3rd grade teacher at Evergreen Elementary School as well.

On Wednesday, Wellspring Fellowship released a statement regarding the charges brought against Henderson.

Detectives assigned to the case investigated immediately, while the teacher was removed from the school during the investigation.

An email from the school district sent last week stated, “The allegations concern boundary invasions, verbal statements and potentially touching,” she wrote. “I am sure that, like me, every alarm bell has gone off in your head. I want to assure you that the safety and well-being of our students is not just a priority; it is the foundation upon which our schools operate.”

Henderson pled not guilty Friday and was released on $100,000 bail. He is required to be electronically monitored and is not to have contact with any children besides his own.

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