75
[Pastor of Lighthouse Christian Center] Sex offender given leniency accused of raping another child
Robert D. Bennefield, a convicted sex offender spared prison a decade ago by a judge who granted his request for treatment, was back in front of the judge Friday on a new charge of raping a child.
Bennefield, 53, of Sifton, pleaded not guilty to raping a 15-year-old boy.
His trial was set for Aug. 18.
In 1998, Bennefield pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree rape of a child and one count of attempted second-degree assault involving two brothers. The boys attended the small Lighthouse Christian Center in Rosemere, where Bennefield was a pastor.
In that case, Bennefield also admitted to molesting nine other boys he’d met through the church, according to court records.
At his 1998 sentencing, a Clark County deputy prosecutor sought the maximum sentence of 12 years in prison.
Bennefield “is no more opportunistic than a spider who uses a web,” Deputy Prosecutor Scott Jackson argued to Superior Court Judge Robert Harris.
read more here
