KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Schlitterbahn water park co-owner Jeff Henry is behind bars again on new charges, and this time his bond is $1 million, according to WDAF.
Prosecutors say the man behind the world’s largest water slide possessed drugs and used Schlitterbahn passes to pay a prostitute after appearing in Wyandotte County court in July. The new charges are also a violation of his original bond conditions after a boy died on the Verruckt slide in 2016.
According to court documents, the day after he appeared in Wyandotte County court for charges related to the death of 10-year-old Caleb Schwab and other Verruckt injuries, he checked into a Merriam hotel where police responded to a disturbance call.
When police arrived they discovered more than 60 grams of methamphetamine and 16 Xanax pills.
Court documents also say Henry paid a prostitute $240, plus 10 all-day passes to Schlitterbahn.
Johnson County prosecutors charged Henry with hiring a prostitute, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and having Xanax without a prescription. Henry’s attorney said his client is sick and has depression and hopes he will receive the necessary treatment.
“He is in Menninger (a specialty psychiatric clinic), and that is the reason he is there. He has problems that are being addressed and hopefully he can find a cure,” Ron Barroso said.
Barroso said Henry hopes to pay the bond by Thursday. In that case, his attorney says he plans to return to Menninger Clinic in Texas.
As for the Verruckt water slide, crews brought in cranes late last week, and began taking down the water slide piece by piece. They hope to have it removed in November.
Schlitterbahn released this statement in light of the newest allegations:
“Serious accusations have been made against Jeff Henry and neither the Henry family nor the Schlitterbahn companies take those allegations lightly. To be clear, Jeff Henry has not managed the operations of any Schlitterbahn property, including the Kansas City waterpark, for many years. We at Schlitterbahn recognize and respect that these allegations must be addressed by Jeff Henry and his attorneys.”
Henry faces 18 charges in Wyandotte County, including second-degree murder, related to Verruckt.