Judge Rules Ex-Teacher Must Have Counseling

A former Van Nuys High School teacher must undergo psychological counseling before a December hearing or face a possible retrial on sexual molestation charges, a judge ruled earlier this week.

Superior Court Judge Craig E. Veals ordered Kevin Henry, 41, to attend 12 sessions over the next six months. Although Deputy City Atty. Deborah Sanchez lobbied for a retrial, Veals held the case over to a Dec. 17 hearing.

A jury deadlocked on sexual molestation charges against Henry in May.

Sanchez cited charges that Henry touched the breasts of two Van Nuys High students last fall and presented what she said was some new evidence in an attempt to persuade Veals to grant a retrial.

Both the prosecution and the defense in the case speculated that one reason the jury failed to reach a verdict in the Henry case was due to the fact that the two alleged victims accused the teacher of deliberately rubbing against them, a more difficult thing to prove than overt grabbing or intimate sexual contact.

Veals also said juror questionnaires indicated that they had problems with the credibility of one witness, whose testimony the jurors said changed a number of times.

Sanchez said she will reevaluate the case in December to see if charges will be refiled.