Convicted Woody Creek sex offender returns to custody

A district judge on Monday sent a convicted sex offender back to Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office custody after he allegedly violated the conditions of his probation.

District Judge Laura Makar revoked the bond of Henry Forbes Henley — a 24-year-old from Woody Creek who pleaded guilty in 2019 to two of four sexual assault cases filed against him, serving over four years behind bars. Makar found Henley, who was released from the Colorado Department of Corrections in 2023 with 20 years probation, had recently violated his “crime free” probationary terms and decided he poses public safety concerns with “a preponderance of the evidence.”

Henley tested positive for cocaine use last year after submitting to a cheek swab, a violation of his probation that prohibits use of alcohol or controlled substances. He was also accused of viewing a sexually explicit, AI-generated photo that “appeared to be an underwear ad” according to Public Defender Cameron Mackenzie — a violation of his probation terms prohibiting him from viewing sexually-explicit content — and of breaking his probation-set curfew.

“He has used cocaine; he has violated his curfew,” Makar said on Monday. “He has violated his internet use restrictions.”

Probation problems arose last year when Henley was arrested multiple times, sparking a series of court proceedings to determine if — and to what degree — he was acting against the conditions of his freedom.

In October 2025, Henley was arrested for allegedly driving recklessly on Sept. 6 with multiple teenagers in his car and buying alcohol for them. Authorities said he offered one of the teenagers — a 14-year-old — Molly and ketamine, which she did not accept. He was released the same day of his arrest after posting a $5,000 bond. 

Six days later, Henley was detained a second time during a traffic stop after Makar granted a warrant to authorities based on the accusation that he had violated the conditions of his probation during the alleged incident involving reckless driving with minors.

Makar set his bond at $75,000 cash-only, which his family posted. Henley has a sentencing hearing scheduled for May 26.

Following her decision on Monday, Makar said that sending Henley back to custody is not indicative of where she is “going to end up on sentencing.”

“I am going to review all of the materials that come before me, and I’m going to take them seriously and consider them the same way I have done for the entirety of this case,” she said. 

Mackenzie told the court that he doesn’t believe the risk Henley poses to the community has significantly changed between the allegations made against him in October 2025 and “where we are today.”

“I want to go back to the bond that was set on Oct. 28,” he said. “The court issued that warrant, setting up on a $75,000 cash surety, based on community safety risk concerns. We discussed that in court. What has changed since then?”

Henley in 2019 pleaded guilty to two separate sexual assault cases. He admitted to using his hands as a deadly weapon, felony second-degree assault, after he was accused of choking and sexually assaulting a teenage girl. He, too, was a minor when the charges were first filed against him in 2018. Henley also pleaded guilty to felony sexual assault, admitting to using physical violence in another assault case filed against him.

One of the victims on Monday asked the court to prioritize public safety when ruling on Henley’s return to custody. 

“I would like to say that this is simply not about what happened to me seven years ago,” the victim said. “It’s about what continues to happen and what will happen again if nothing changes. Henry has demonstrated a consistent pattern: sexual violence, refusal to accept responsibility, violation of probation and complete disregard for the safety of others. Each time he’s released, we end up back in this courtroom.”