A University of Florida employee arrested last week in a sexual assault case will be allowed to bond out of jail after a circuit court judge on Wednesday morning denied a prosecutor’s request that he be jailed until trial.
Aaron Kendrick Henry, 36, a contracts administrator for UF’s Planning, Design and Construction office, is being held in the Alachua County jail on $125,000 bond.
In a hearing Tuesday, Circuit Court Judge Phillip Pena heard arguments from the prosecution asking that Henry be detained until trial. While Pena denied the motion, he ordered that Henry be fitted with a GPS monitor upon release.
Henry was banned from university property and has been placed on administrative leave while charges are pending according to UF spokesperson Steve Orlando.
Henry has worked for the university since November 2021, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Police began their investigation after Henry’s ex-girlfriend reported that she had been sexually assaulted.
After a heated argument over the phone, Henry threatened to have his ex-girlfriend’s daughter fired from her new job if the woman didn’t engage with him sexually, according to the arrest report.
When the woman arrived at Henry’s residence, she refused his advances, the report states.
Henry grabbed the woman by the throat and pushed her on the bed. He then removed her clothes and sexually assaulted her, the arrest report states.
When the woman escaped his grasp and darted for a nearby door, Henry blocked her exit. The woman was then able to pull out her phone and discreetly record Henry. When asked by the woman if he knew he could go to jail for what he did, Henry responded affirmatively and nodded his head, the woman told police.
Henry makes $66,096 a year, according to the State University System’s salary database. Henry told the court Thursday he did not have enough money to hire an attorney. An application for a public defender lists his take-home pay at $3,000 a month.
While it is unclear why there is a discrepancy between Henry’s salary and his declared income, he added on the application that his debts and liabilities total $90,000.
Calls to the numbers listed for Henry went to voicemail.
Henry’s next hearing has not been set.