Chris Henry Could Face More Charges

Reported by: Bill Price
Web produced by: Ian Preuth
Photographed by: John Atkinson

Former Cincinnati Bengal Chris Henry could face additional criminal or civil charges for his alleged role in another incident early Sunday morning in a Downtown Cincinnati nightclub.

The "BANG" Nightclub said Henry was one of three Bengal players who had to be escorted out of the club by Cincinnati Police.

The assault and criminal damaging charges that have put the former Bengal in jail again at the Hamilton County Courthouse happened in Clifton Heights on Monday night.

It's also been confirmed that there was another incident that Henry was involved in the day before.

The BANG Nightclub on West 4th Street said Henry was among three Bengals involved in incidents there about 1:00 Sunday morning. The club would not go into any further detail about what those incidents were.

The nightclub said in a statement that Henry, Chris Perry and Domata Peko were escorted out by police when the club closed.

The nightclub said charges have not been filed, pending the settlement of punitive damages.

Word of the incident came just before Henry was arraigned Thursday afternoon for allegedly hitting and injuring a University of Cincinnati student and damaging his car.

Now, the former Cincinnati Bengal remains in jail, facing charges of assault and criminal damaging.

Henry is being held on a $51,000 bond at the Hamilton County Justice Center after having the arraignment judge refer to him as a "one man crime wave."

It was a sullen, expressionless Chris Henry who walked into room a after spending several hours in jail. His lawyer and jail officials said he had been told moments earlier the Bengals had effectively fired him.

Through his lawyer Perry Ancona, Henry pleaded not guilty to both the assault and the criminal damaging charges on a UC student.

Then, Municipal Court Judge Bernie Bouchard started to set Henry's bond. The Judge told the court, "We're talking about a repeat offender. He's basically a one man crime wave."

The current charges stem from a Monday night incident at a Clifton Heights apartment building on Ohio Avenue. The 24-year-old football player is accused of hitting Gregory Meyer in the head and then throwing a beer bottle through a window of Meyer's car.

Although attorney Ancona called the bond outrageous for the charges, the judge strongly refuted him. Ancona told the judge, "We are just asking the court about a 10 percent bond. We don't believe he's a flight risk.

However, Judge Bouchard strongly disagreed, saying, "Look at his past record. We feel it's a very reasonable bond."

If and when Henry makes his bond, he'll face some tough restrictions when he is released.

The judge ordered that he be on constant electronic monitoring, that he not use alcohol or drugs and that he not leave Hamilton County without the permission of the court.

As of late Thursday afternoon, jail officials said no bond had been paid for Henry's release.

Lawyers familiar with the jail operations said that after a bond is posted it can take from two to nine hours to get an inmate released.