ROCKINGHAM — A man is facing charges in two counties after investigators with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office say he broke into several cars and pawned the loot.
Dustin Monroe Benoist, 24, of Sandhurst Drive, Rockingham, is accused of breaking into four cars along Richmond Road Extension on Nov. 25, according to a press release issued Thursday.
Investigators say he also stole a vehicle and a gun.
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office has also charged Benoist for pawning the stolen items in that county.
In all, Benoist is charged with four counts of breaking and/or entering a motor vehicle and one count each of: larceny of a firearm; larceny of a motor vehicle; possession of a firearm by a felon; felony larceny; misdemeanor larceny; injury to personal property; injury to real property; and obtaining property by false pretenses (Cumberland County).
Online court records show some of those charges are from the Rockingham Police Department.
Benoist was booked into the Richmond County Jail under a $57,500 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 13.
Records with the N.C. Department of Public Safety show Benoist’s parole ended Oct. 12 after spending 15 months behind bars following a conviction on breaking and entering and larceny charges. He was also convicted of a controlled substance violation at a penal institution.
Benoist was first convicted of felony breaking and entering in September 2013, records show. Three months later, his probation from that case was revoked when he was convicted of larceny after breaking and entering.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
