Ex-teacher gets 66 years in prison, jail plumbing issues could cost county big
From a former teacher’s lengthy prison sentence to a class-action lawsuit over jail conditions, Pierce County is grappling with major news on Friday, May 8, 2026. Here’s a roundup of the top stories from The News Tribune:
• A former Evergreen Elementary School teacher, Jordan Roy Henderson, 36, was sentenced to 66 years to life in prison after being convicted of 12 counts of first-degree child molestation involving four female students in his 4th and 5th grade classroom.
• A federal magistrate judge has recommended class certification in a lawsuit alleging the Pierce County Jail has decades-old plumbing defects causing sewage backups between cells, with a 2014 engineering report estimating $3.1 million to fix the problem.
• The Nisqually Tribe held its annual Honor Walk on May 3, leading guests seven miles across lands now part of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where roughly 23,000 acres of historic grasslands are preserved, some of them as part of an artillery range.
• For bargain hunters, Tacoma offers nearly two dozen thrift stores spread across city neighborhoods, including the monthly Tacoma Flea at Point Ruston, which features about 60 vendors in a 10,000-square-foot space.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited senior editor Adam Lynn. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.
