YouTuber Craig Hendry returned to YouTube for a second straight day on Thursday despite being currently incarcerated and awaiting sentencing in the Greene County, Indiana, jail following his conviction for making a false report about a police officer.
Hendry has released two videos since his conviction, starting with a video released on Wednesday which featured both comments from Monday before his trial had happened with further comments on Tuesday from after the conclusion of the trial.
In Monday’s portion of the video, Hendry was with a friend in his car recording at night and offering predictions about what was going to happen at the trial.
The first half of the video established the argument Hendry attempted to use at trial and what he would stick to post conviction. That a neighbor saw police “kicking in” the door to his residence during daylight hours, and that accusations that police “kidnapped” him and “held him in a cage” were true because the phrasing reflected Hendry’s beliefs as to what happened to him.
Hendry would explain that he believed that any incarceration where there “was no victim” can be termed a “kidnapping” by police; with the offense he was being charged with at the time – selling and distributing marijuana – defined by the YouTuber as one of those crimes.
He also noted that the police officer who reportedly kicked his door in was later fired based on a disorderly conduct conviction stemming from a domestic battery arrest. Furthermore, he had a statement from a deposition, in which one of the officers admitted that Hendry was treated “differently” because he openly threatened and provoked police through his actions and statements.
All of Hendry’s arguments fell on deaf ears at the trial when the jury rejected his colorful verbiage and explanation of the situation. He claimed that he was being persecuted for being critical of “the government” and asked his fans to donate to his cash apps since his incarceration left his girlfriend and two children without a provider.
Hendry ended by announcing he will represent himself during the appeal of the verdict.
Thursday’s address from the Greene County jail essentially stuck with the same logic. He could not be convicted for saying that officers acted inappropriately because they kicked in his door, “kidnapped” him and held him in jail for a victimless crime.
This time he asserted that failure to pay child support was a “victimless” crime and that no one should be jailed for it as no one was hurt by missing payments.
He attempted to rally his fans around the idea that if it happened to him, it would soon happen to them, so they must send in their money to support his family and his appeal. He also promised that he would be putting out videos every day that he was incarcerated within the Green County Jail.
Hendry’s misfortunes did not end in Greene County, as his federal lawsuit against jailers in Vermillion County, Indiana, was on the verge of being completely dismissed for his failure to state an actionable claim.
The lawsuit was filed earlier this year after Hendry received an informal conduct review and placed into segregation after a series of alleged violations. Hendry refused to sign the report and waive his right to a hearing about his conduct.
Hendry spent 12 days in segregation, and his CHIRP text messaging device was confiscated for 30 days. A further three days of “lockdown” was added while in segregation for allegedly destroying jail property.
The YouTuber sued, stating he was denied his due process rights and that by removing his CHIRP device, the jail was violating his first amendment rights.
Addressing the claims, the court found that Hendry stated no actionable claims in his complaint. The Court found that he does not have a constitutional right to avoid false disciplinary charges, furthermore Hendry failed to state any protected First Amendment activity for which the guards allegedly retaliated against him.
Hendry was then given a deadline of December 15, 2025, to show cause as to why the case should not be dismissed. With Hendry now incarcerated in the Greene County jail, it is unlikely that he will be able to answer the Court’s order.
