Escaped leopard, fatal crash, teacher lawsuit among top TNT stories

Pierce County saw a busy Friday, from a federal lawsuit against a school district to an escaped zoo animal in Tacoma. Here’s a quick look at the top local stories.

• A federal lawsuit filed May 14 alleges Peninsula School District administrators failed to act on years of reported concerns about former teacher Jordan Roy Henderson’s boundary violations with young girls before his arrest. Henderson, 36, was sentenced this month to 66 years to life in prison after a jury convicted him in January of 12 counts of first-degree child molestation involving four girls in his class at Evergreen Elementary School. The suit claims principal Hugh Maxwell responded to repeated concerns between 2019 and 2024 by simply speaking to Henderson rather than investigating or reporting the behavior as required by law.
• An 81-year-old man driving a pickup truck died and a 75-year-old man was critically injured in a head-on collision on Key Peninsula Highway at about 8:44 a.m. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said the deceased driver was not maintaining his lane and the other driver corrected hard to avoid him. Investigators have not determined whether a medical condition contributed to the crash.
• Orchid, a clouded leopard at Point Defiance Zoo, escaped during the 11:30 a.m. Wild Wonders live animal show Friday and climbed a tree behind the outdoor theater before being recaptured and returned to an enclosure by 2:34 p.m.
• Ten new or recently opened patios have debuted in and around Tacoma, including a series of streetside parklets along Meridian in downtown Puyallup with options like Lick Ice Cream, Caskcades and West Pioneer Grill. McMenamins Elks Temple plans to debut a new “goat lot” beer garden on the hillside in downtown Tacoma this summer.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by senior editor Adam Lynn. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.