Washington: Tacoma lawyer who stalked college student he met on dating site sentenced to prison

A Tacoma lawyer convicted by a jury of stalking, harassing and extorting a 21-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.S. Army veteran, earned his license to practice law in 2019 and previously was the sole practitioner of Hendry Law, a firm focused on personal injury, estate planning and employment law. He also was an intern for the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office from 2017 to 2019.

The punishment Pierce County Superior Court Judge Jennifer Andrews imposed — nine years and nine months — 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.

Read more at: https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/crime/article299449299.html#storylink=cpy