He is 71.
By Amy Lamare — Written on Nov 18, 2019
Dr. Bruce Hensel is a former NBC News medical correspondent. The Los Angeles Times has reported that the 71-year-old was arrested and charged on November 13. Allegedly, Hensel asked the underaged daughter of a friend for sexual photographs in August through an app. The girl is 9. Hensel is facing one felony count. If convicted, he could serve up to 18 months in prison and be branded a sex offender for life.
Hensel is being investigated by the Los Angeles police department. The authorities launched their probe after learning that he had allegedly exchanged inappropriate messages and photos with the 9-year-old girl. His Los Angeles area home was searched in October. People reports he was arrested on Wednesday, November 13 on suspicion of contact with a minor for the purpose of a sexual act. He was booked into the LAPD's Metropolitan Detention Center with a bail of $5,000.
Who is Bruce Hensel?
1. He joined NBC4 in 1987
Bruce Hensel is a doctor as well as a radio and television personality. He worked for NBC in Los Angeles and New York as the chief on-air medical correspondent. He joined KNBC in 1987 and reported on medical issues. He also ran the "Ask Dr. Bruce" segment, during which he would answer viewer questions. He has one 11 Emmy Awards and two Golden Mike Awards. He retired from NBC in 2016.
2. Film and TV work
Besides his work as a correspondent for NBC, Hensel has appeared in a number of film and television shows over the years. He appeared in the 1980s soap opera Capitol and in Death Wish 4: The Crackdown. He was also a guest on the radio show Loveline. Last year he executive produced the Showtime show Beyond the Opposite Sex.
3. LAPD statement
The Los Angeles Police Department issued the following statement: "A 71-year-old Pacific Palisades man was charged today with asking a 9-year-old girl to send him sexually suggestive pictures, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced. Deputy District Attorney Angela Brunson of the Cyber Crime Division said Bruce Martin Hensel (DOB: 5/12/48) faces one felony count of contact with minor for sexual purposes. Arraignment will be scheduled at a later date. Hensel, a doctor, is charged with requesting the images from the daughter of an acquaintance through a messaging app on or about Aug. 4, the prosecutor said. If convicted as charged, Hensel faces a possible maximum sentence of 18 months in state prison."
4. Another NBC scandal
We're losing counts of all the scandals at NBC: Megyn Kelly's blackface controversy, then Matt Lauer's firing for sexual misconduct, then the whole squashing of the Harvey Weinstein story by the top brass at the network, which was brilliantly detailed in Ronan Farrow's Catch & Kill, and now Dr. Bruce Hensel.
5. His attorney's statement
Hensel's attorney Steve Sitkoff issued the following statement: "Dr. Hensel is completely innocent of the charge. We are cooperating with the authorities and look forward to a speedy and complete exoneration." Because Hensel allegedly asked the 9-year-old for sexual photos on an app, the Los Angeles Regional Internet Crime Against Children Task Force started the investigation with the October 16 search warrant served on his home in Pacific Palisades.
6. He sexted with her
There are reports that claim that the septuagenarian doctor was sexting with the 9-year-old child. It seems like this is happening more and more — grown men preying on children. The truth of it is that the prevalence of pedophilia in the general population isn't known. It is estimated to be less than 5% of the adult male population. Still, this story is deeply disturbing.
Amy Lamare is a Los Angeles based writer and editor covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.