Cody Henson was a Republican state representative in North Carolina, representing the Transylvania and Mills River area. His wife left him while she was pregnant with their second child, claiming he was overly controlling, frequently threatened her with violence, threw a full can of beer at her in front of their child, and threatened to kill himself, at other times he threatened to kill her.
She petitioned for a restraining order and got one. He was only allowed to communicate at specific times about their children, but he ignored that and relentlessly texted over and over and over again. Many of the texts were threats to kill himself or to kill her. He posted a picture of his guns on social media and talked about a special Mother’s Day gift when he would kill himself. She claims the stress led to her going into premature labor.
She claimed it was difficult to get help. When she called law enforcement she was told to think about his career. A local magistrate refused to hear her request for an order of protection. She claimed he was protected by a right-wing brotherhood.
However, she did succeed in bringing charges. In a plea deal, he pleaded guilty to cyberstalking. It’s a deferred sentence so if he completes probation, he will have a clean record. After his plea, he said he would not resign, but Republicans pressured him to step down.
- Citizen Times: State Rep. Cody Henson, of Rosman, ordered to stay away from wife
- WHKP: State Representative Now Accused of Cyberstalking
- Citizen Times: Republicans not defending Rep. Henson after domestic violence order, cyberstalking charge
- The Transylvania Times: N.C. Rep. Cody Henson Pleads Guilty To Cyberstalking-Brevard NC
The News and Observer
Raleigh, North Carolina · Thursday, July 25, 2019