Deputies arrest Canterbury School’s head of security

A convicted felon with a weapon patrolling the halls of a prominent private school. Wyatt Henderson, the director of security for the Canterbury School, was arrested Monday night and charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.

Henderson, a former detective with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, was arrested 20 years ago for pistol-whipping a kid.

For the time being, it’s unclear how Henderson got a job at the school in the first place. But, WINK News went through the internal affairs report and learned that Henderson has a long career in law enforcement. But it wasn’t always smooth sailing for Henderson.

Some things WINK News read may make parents wonder how he ended up in charge of their children’s safety.

While he was a Detective Corporal for CCSO, Henderson is said to have pistol-whipped a juvenile while on a drug bust. He was convicted by a jury and served time in federal prison.

WINK News reporter Amy Oshier covered the trial in 2003.

“A dad came to me and told me the story that his son, during a minor drug bust, had been pistol-whipped by Henderson,” Oshier said.

“He took him and took his head and kind of smashed it into the ground a couple of times, and then took out his gun and hit him, and the kid suffered a couple of injuries. He went to the hospital broken nose broken jaw,” Oshier said.

According to internal affairs documents, Henderson tried to cover the incident up.

“He was their supervisor and asked people within the department to lie for him and to falsify the report so that he wouldn’t get in trouble,” Oshier said.

Years after his release from prison, Henderson joined Canterbury School. Following his arrest on Monday, the school issued a statement to parents citing confusion over state and federal guidelines as a possible reason for the arrest. It does not go into detail but assures parents that safety is the top priority.

Henderson was released from custody Tuesday afternoon after posting bond.