LOGAN — A 41-year-old man already convicted of assault and violating a protective order, has admitted to abusing and choking a pregnant woman in Benson last month. James Harlin Henderson has been in the Cache County Jail since being arrested April 7.
According to court records, Henderson appeared May 5 in Logan’s 1st District Court. He accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to three counts of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony; and assaulting a pregnant woman, a class A misdemeanor.
As part of the plea resolution, two remaining charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning they can be filed again.
According to prosecutors, Cache County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a trailer near 2600 W. SR-30, on report of a domestic dispute on April 7. The victim said Henderson had beat her up and choked her. The woman had a bloody swollen lip, and red marks on her neck and face.
Deputies learned that Henderson had become upset with the victim, after she refused to cuddle with him. He then reportedly dragged her around the trailer by her hair, grabbed her by the face, and hit her on the back of her head.
The woman explained how Henderson later placed both hands around her throat and began restricting her airway. He then placed his knee across her throat, stating he was going to kill her and their unborn child. This occurred 3 or 4 times, with the defendant also reportedly shoving a blanket into the victim’s mouth to stop her from crying.
The woman told deputies, the assault lasted until Henderson got tired and began falling asleep. She was then able to sneak out of the trailer and call 911.
Based on court records, Henderson had just been released from jail after pleading guilty to violating a protective order, amended to a class A misdemeanor. The previous plea deal had allowed for his release at the time. In 2023, he was sentenced to serve 364 days in jail after being convicted on similar assault charges.
Henderson is now being held without bail. He is scheduled to be sentenced in both cases on June 2, and could face more than five years in prison.