Former athletes face county jail

By Katie Powers and Sophie Asmar

Former water polo players Thomas Hendrickson and William Gorin will spend time in county jail after pleading guilty to several burglaries that took place last year.

On March 6 Hendrickson received a sentence of five months in county jail, 300 hours of community service and three years formal probation, said Amy Cornell, a Santa Clara County district attorney spokesperson.

He pled guilty to three counts of residential burglary and one count of possession of stolen property as part of a plea bargain with the court guaranteeing him a sentence that would not include serving time in a state prison, she said.

Gorin, as a part of the same plea bargain, pled guilty to two counts of residential burglary and one count of possession of stolen property. For both students, the burglary counts carried an enhanced punishment because people were present in the residences when the burglaries occurred. Gorin was sentenced to 100 days in county jail on March 20. His surrender date is July 6. He will have three years probation, during which time he cannot consume alcohol or illegal drugs, nor be in an establishment that predominantly serves alcohol.

"Mr. Gorin, that means The Hut," Judge Edward Davila said at his sentencing.

During his probation, Gorin will also be subject to chemical tests and searches without warrants.

The students were arrested on March 17, 2008 on suspicion of stealing four iPods, three laptops and three to four wallets with credit cards from fellow students and selling them on Craigslist.com.

The university gave Hendrickson and Gorin each a one-year suspension. Both are returning to classes for this quarter, the Office of the Registrar confirmed.

Gorin completed more than 100 hours of community service as part of his agreement with the university. Both were also banned from the water polo team.

The University Discipline Council, composed of a faculty member, staff member and two students, presided over Hendrickson and Gorin's judicial case at Santa Clara. The committee can impose any judicial sanctions from a warning to expulsion, said Jeanne Rosenberger, vice provost for student life.

Rosenberger declined to comment on the specifics of Hendrickson and Gorin's cases.

"You have accomplished something," Davila told Gorin at his sentencing. "You have victims, and they'll be your victims forever. I doubt they'll forget what happened." Several of his victims declined to comment on the situation.

"I really would like to commit the rest of my life to making right the wrong that I've done," Gorin said at the sentencing.

Wall said at Gorin's sentencing, "No one has agonized about this case more than Bill Gorin. The nature of the crime cannot explain why it occurred. Bill is a man of character. What he did was an aberration of his character." Wall partly attributed said aberration to alcohol.

He said of Gorin, "He has been through hell in the last year." The attorney asked for the most constructive form of punishment that would teach a lesson, which he believed did not include jail time.

At Gorin's sentencing, the district attorney said, "Given the nature of the charges and the seriousness of the offense, the defendant should be given a significant period of county jail."

Gorin's mother, brother, grandmother, aunt, Santa Clara water polo coach Keith Wilbur, Jack Treacy, S.J., and several friends and teammates were all present at the hearing, which Wall called "a testament to his character."

Gorin has had weekly lunches with Treacy, Wall said. Treacy declined to comment for this article.

When Davila asked Gorin what the lesson in the case was at the sentencing, he said, "It's important to recognize other people's individual rights to the freedoms we enjoy and you can't violate personal space."

Gorin did not wish to comment for this story. Hendrickson did not immediately respond to an e-mailed interview request. Phone calls to Wall were not returned.

Hendrickson earned a Western Water Polo Association honorable mention and was named to the WWPA first all-tournament team his junior year. He started all 30 games in 2007, led the team in assists with 34 and steals with 26 and ranked second on the team in goals with 47.

Mary Georgevich contributed reporting to this story. Contact Katie Powers and Sophie Asmar at (408) 544-4546.