Man convicted of sexually assaulting boys
A 44-year-old man faces a mandatory penalty of 25 years in prison after he was convicted Friday of molesting two minor boys in 2021.
Matthew Donald Benoit was found guilty of three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct by a jury in Macomb County Circuit Court following a four-day trial, according to court records. He assaulted a 7-year-old boy twice and a 14-year-old boy once in Clinton Township. Each of the counts carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, and he faces the minimum 25-year term because the victim was under age 13 for two of the offenses.
He is scheduled to be sentenced May 17 by Judge Joseph Toia.
“Children should be safe in their own home. Thank you to Clinton Township Police for working hard so this man can not hurt another child,” said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Elizabeth Rittinger.
Benoit was free after posting a $100,000 bond in January 2022.
Court records indicates a Matthew Donald Benoit in 2001 pleaded guilty in Macomb Circuit Court to attempted child sexual abusive activity after he was charged with child sexual abusive activity, and was sentenced to nine months in jail and three years probation, during which he had multiple probation violations.
During probation, in 2002, he was charged with kidnapping and aggravated domestic violence for which he pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon, records indicate. Three months was added to his jail term, and his probation period remained the same.