Retired LAPD detective pleads no contest to child porn possession

A retired Los Angeles Police Department detective pleaded no contest Tuesday to possession of child pornography after more than 600 images were found inside his Downey home.

Charles Daniel Henderson, 69, who worked for the LAPD for about two decades, entered the plea before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Renee Korn after a plea deal was reached with prosecutors.

The former detective was initially charged with two counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of child pornography possession. Those allegations could have carried a six-year prison sentence.

Henderson is slated to be sentenced May 27. Under the plea bargain, he is expected to be placed on probation for five years, ordered to register as a sex offender for life, undergo one year of sex offender counseling and perform 30 days of community labor, according to prosecutors.

Deputy Dist. Atty Samer Hathout of the High Tech Crime Division said Henderson uploaded child pornography in May 2014, and in October investigators serving a search warrant at his home discovered more than 600 images of child or youth pornography.

According to prosecutors, at least 10 or more of images depicted a child under 12 years old, and he emailed images to others. He was arrested by Downey police in February.

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