Henry won’t face sex charge
By Andre Coleman. 11/15/2007
The District Attorney’s Office will not file sex crime charges against a former LAPD officer who allegedly made lewd gestures at the daughter of neighbors he’s been feuding with for years.
John and Mellaine Hamilton accused Irsie Henry, 42, of standing on the balcony of his Altadena home and flicking his tongue at their 12-year-old daughter in simulation of oral sex.
Sheriff’s deputies interviewed the girl and neighbor Crystal Nerone, who claimed to have witnessed the act. However, DA investigators determined Henry’s actions were most likely intended to simply annoy the parents of the child, said attorney Spencer Vodnoy, who represents the Hamiltons.
The feud between the neighbors has been going on since 1999, with many court hearings and multiple restraining orders issued. At the heart of all this animosity is Henry’s apparent dislike for mixed-race couples, the Hamiltons among them.
In August, Judge Coleman Swart determined that Henry had violated a restraining order when he cut two tarpaulin covers the Hamiltons had installed to avoid further confrontations. Swart ordered Henry to pay $7,000 for court costs and attorney fees and suspended his 10-day sentence. If Henry violates the order again, Swart said he will send him to jail.
Henry, who is African-American, has been accused by the Hamiltons and other neighbors of harassment. Henry was dismissed from the LAPD two years ago after multiple complaints about his behavior to his supervisors and the LA County Sheriff’s Department.
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