Former Peninsula teacher denies sexually touching elementary school students
A former Peninsula School District teacher charged with child molestation denied inappropriately touching four of his students as he took the stand in his trial Dec. 29.
Jordan Roy Henderson, 36, faces 12 counts of first-degree child molestation. Prosecutors initially charged him with nine counts on April 19, 2024, after a two-month investigation. Three more charges were added in June, according to court records.
Four girls have alleged that Henderson either touched them inappropriately or groped them over their clothes when they were in his Evergreen Elementary School fourth and fifth grade split class in Lakebay. Henderson pleaded not guilty and has been out of custody on $100,000 bail.
He began his career as a substitute teacher in 2013 at the Peninsula School District. The News Tribune reported that he later resigned.
The prosecution presented its witnesses and case for about two weeks. After prosecutors rested their case, Henderson took the stand as a defense witness. Throughout questioning by his attorney Brett Purtzer and deputy prosecuting attorney Nathan Zink, Henderson repeatedly denied touching any of his students inappropriately.
The alleged victims have accused Henderson of touching them inside the classroom. One of the girls alleged that Henderson had touched her bottom during an extra recess after walking her to a separate area. The girl also testified on Dec. 9 that Henderson touched her every day from fourth to fifth grade.
Purtzer asked Henderson questions surrounding the layout of his classroom. Photos of the room and a walk-through video going to the classroom area was shown to the jury. Purtzer said in opening statements the classroom was an open place, and people would come in and out — including other teachers and parents — and none said they saw Henderson touching any child inappropriately.
Henderson testified about issues each girl faced, whether it was learning challenges, anxiety or drama with one another. He said during defense questioning that one of the girls had a tendency to "embellish" stories that happened in class, and another girl had initiated physical contact such as hugs with him or other teachers before.
Samantha Lowder, who was a paraeducator and mother of one of Henderson’s former students, testified the morning of Dec. 29 that she never saw anything concerning happen in class when she’d go into his classroom.
A 13-year-old boy testified that morning that he was in Henderson’s fourth- and fifth-grade split class at the same time as the alleged victims. He said he did not see his former teacher inappropriately touch anyone.
The boy testified during Purtzer’s questioning that one of the victims tried to climb on Henderson’s legs during reading time, but did not see Henderson put the girl on his lap. The boy said during cross-examination he had seen two of the girls on Henderson’s leg before on separate occasions. He said Henderson had “kinda” nudged off one of the girls, but “not really.”
Henderson denied letting any of the girls sit on his lap, and he brushed one girl off when she tried to. When Zink asked how many times one of the girls tried to sit on his lap, Henderson said he did not remember, and it was not often.
Zink asked Henderson if he had a separate conversation with one of the girls who he brushed off his legs. Henderson said he did not. He added her mother was in the class and saw the girl try to climb on his leg one time so the mother “told her off at that moment.”
Prosecutors alleged that Henderson would compliment some students on their appearance. Henderson testified that did not happen.
Zink asked Henderson questions revolving around a training video for teachers that talked about boundaries with students. In his questioning about the video, Zink pointedly asked Henderson if touching children on certain parts of the body was inappropriate.
“Is the thigh an inappropriate place to touch children?” Zink asked.
"It’s certainly not a place that I did,” Henderson said.
When Zink repeated the question, Henderson said, “I would consider it inappropriate, yes.”
Zink asked Henderson if touching children on the breast and bottom was breaching a boundary, to which Henderson said it was inappropriate.
The prosecution brought up an instance when one of the alleged victims sat at Henderson’s desk for a week. Henderson said he put her at his desk because she had difficulty sitting with her classmates and needed to be away from them at times. Henderson said he would not be at his desk often since he’d be instructing or helping students at their desks.
Zink asked Henderson if he kneeled down next to the desks of the alleged victims in the case to help them with their classwork, to which the former teacher said he did with everybody in the class.
Purtzer rested the defense’s case Monday afternoon. Closings arguments were expected to begin Wednesday morning.
This story was originally published December 30, 2025 at 4:25 PM.
