A recently fired Willits police officer currently under criminal investigation is now being accused of sexual assault by a former resident of the small Northern California town, although police won’t confirm whether her allegation is tied to their ongoing probe.
In an interview with NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit, Lorna Allen accused former police lieutenant Derek Hendry of sexually assaulting her multiple times over a period of years as he patrolled Mendocino County for two different law enforcement agencies.
“He ruined my life,” Allen said. “On a regular basis, every time he did that to me.”
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For the first time, Allen is publicly sharing details about the abuse she says Hendry inflicted on her, first while employed as a deputy for the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, and later, as a lieutenant with the Willits Police Department.
According to Allen, the abuse began around 2015 and continued on-and-off for five years, totaling roughly a dozen encounters. In some instances, Allen said she was forced to perform oral sex on Hendry. In another, she said she was forced to have sex with him inside his police vehicle.
NBC Bay Area has attempted to reach Hendry multiple times by phone and through a letter sent to the address listed on property records as his home. So far, he has not responded.
There are so many times that I wanted to kill myself rather than be afraid to walk out my door and get in my vehicle because he might be on duty, and he might want what he wanted. He's a monster.
Lorna Allen
Local
“I suffer every day, every day.” Allen said. “There are so many times that I wanted to kill myself rather than be afraid to walk out my door and get in my vehicle because he might be on duty, and he might want what he wanted. He’s a monster.”
Willits Police Chief Fabian Lizarraga said his department has received multiple reports of criminal conduct by Hendry. However, he declined to divulge the nature of those alleged crimes or comment on whether any of the complaints came from Allen.
To avoid a potential conflict of interest stemming from Willits police investigating one of their own, Lizarraga said they turned over the criminal investigation to the Lake County Sheriff's Department, which served a search warrant on Hendry's Ukiah home in August.
Few details have emerged from police since.
According to Allen, however, she filed a report with the Willits Police Department accusing Hendry of sexual assault and has been in contact with investigators.
The Lake County Sheriff's Department also declined to comment on Allen's claims, or whether the accusations are tied to the criminal investigation that prompted them to search Hendry's home.
However, NBC Bay Area viewed text messages and emails sent to Allen from the Willits Police Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Department which appear to confirm she's involved in a case that's currently under investigation.
Hendry was fired in June after serving more than three years with the Willits Police Department according to Lizarraga, who declined to state the reason behind the termination. Two months later, Hendry’s home was searched by police.
A spokesperson for the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, where Hendry previously worked, told NBC Bay Area the criminal investigation is tied to allegations of sexual misconduct but declined to state additional details.
“The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office was unaware of any misconduct of this nature while Derek Hendry was employed with the Sheriff’s Office during his public safety career,” said Captain Gregory Van Patten in an emailed statement. “We believe the investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office is necessary because of the severity of the alleged misconduct which was reported to them recently.”
The status of that criminal investigation remains murky.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office told NBC Bay Area it wrapped up its criminal investigation into Hendry more than two months ago, on Oct. 6, and turned the findings over to Willits police. But the Willits Police Department still won’t discuss the case.
So far, Hendry has not been charged with any crimes, and as of Wednesday morning, the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office said the case had not been referred to them.
Allen recently moved out of Willits, saying she no longer feels safe in the town where she once found sanctuary. She said she’s struggling to get on her feet and doesn’t have permanent housing, mostly living out of her car.
“Law enforcement has to be held accountable,” Allen said. “They’re supposed to hold themselves to a higher standard than a normal citizen, and they don’t.”
Allen said she first met the former officer after past struggles with drug abuse led her into trouble with the law, including arrests for theft.
“It was when he was taking me down to the jail when he said, ‘you know, we can make some of this go away,’” Allen said. “And I said, ‘well, what do you mean? I'm not going to give you any information?’”
Hendry responding by saying, “Well, there are other things,” according to Allen, who said she responded by saying, “No, take me to jail.”
About a year later, Allen says Hendry made a similar offer while arresting her again, which she also refused.
According to Allen, Hendry took her cell phone number after she was released on her own recognizance. Soon after, she says he began sending her messages, like the one telling her to meet him at the end of a remote road in Willits because he had something urgent to discuss with her.
“He forced me to give him oral sex,” Allen said.
Allen said Hendry was in uniform during every assault.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in plain clothes,” said Allen, who believes Hendry purposely used his power as a police officer to intimidate her into complying with his demands.
“He used that to his advantage. Being in law enforcement and using his badge to hide behind and to dangle in front of somebody who has a criminal record, who could possibly go to prison.”
Allen isn’t the only one now speaking out publicly against Hendry.
More than a year ago, former police officer Trent James, who worked alongside Hendry at both the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office and the Willits Police Department, began releasing a series of videos on YouTube under the title: “Confessions of an ex-Cop.”
“Part of my goal here is to open up everybody’s eyes,” James said in an interview with NBC Bay Area.
James has posted more than 35 videos so far, totaling nearly 10 hours, where he dishes about controversies and corruption within Mendocino County law enforcement. Multiple videos focus on Derek Hendry, who James said was his former partner with the sheriff’s department, and later, his supervisor at the Willits Police Department.
“He should have never been a cop to begin with,” James says in an April video he titled, “Willits Police Lieutenant Finally Fired.”
Lorna Allen says watching those online videos, particularly the one about Hendry’s termination, helped lend her the courage to come forward.
“He’s not a cop anymore,” Allen said. “He can’t pull up in his police car, in his police uniform behind the badge.”
In August, James uploaded another video to YouTube, saying his former colleague is also facing sexual misconduct allegations. James said he learned about the allegations after speaking with Allen, which she confirms.
James was only with the Willits Police Department for less than four months. He said he was unjustly let go during his probationary phase, and showed NBC Bay Area a termination letter that said he “failed to meet minimum standards.”
James said his termination is not the driving motivation behind his videos.
“I’d be lying if there weren’t some small elements of that,” James said. “However, just with everything that’s going on in this country regarding transparency in the law enforcement world, I truly believe it would be a disservice to the community that I lived and grew up in, as well as all my friends that still have to work for these shady departments, to not say something.”
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