HAMLET — Deputies swarmed the area around the Richmond County Fairgrounds last Thursday looking for a jump-and-run suspect.
According to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy had tried to stop 41-year-old Dwayne Lee Benoist, who was wanted on outstanding warrants.
Investigators say the traffic stop was initiated at a gas station, but Benoist ran across U.S. 74 Business and into the woods.
Other deputies were called to the scene, including a K-9 handler.
Benoist was later found in a creek, according to investigators.
He was arrested and charged with: felony larceny; misdemeanor larceny; breaking and entering; larceny after breaking and entering; obtaining property by false pretenses; injury to personal property; and a probation violation. Online court records show a second charge of obtaining property by false pretenses.
Records with the N.C. Department of Public Safety Division of Adult Correction show Benoist is currently serving a 12-month suspended sentence from a misdemeanor larceny conviction in February.
He was booked into the Richmond County Jail where he remains under a combined $165,000 secured bond. He was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday for the probation violation and has a June 1 court date for the other charges, according to jail records.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
State records show Benoist has a slew of convictions dating back 18 years.
In March of 2002, he was convicted on three misdemeanor counts of possessing stolen goods.
His probation was revoked less than three months later when he was also convicted of wanton injury to personal property, resisting a public officer, disorderly conduct and driving with a revoked license.
He was released in October, but about a year later was convicted of breaking and entering and possessing stolen goods in Moore County, as well as multiple counts of larceny and breaking and entering in Richmond County.
After serving time, he was released in October of 2005. However, the following August, Benoist was convicted of assault on a female, domestic criminal trespassing and giving fictitious information to a law enforcement officer, landing him in prison for another two months.
Benoist was convicted of violating a protective order in 2014 and the following year saw even more charges.
In 2015, records show he was convicted of breaking and entering and communicating threats in Richmond County. Benoist was also convicted in Randolph County of: three counts of possession of stolen goods; two counts each of felony larceny and misdemeanor larceny; and one count each of obtaining property by false pretenses, breaking and entering motor vehicles, and unauthorized use of motor conveyance.
In October of last year, he was given probation when convicted of violation of a protective order, communicating threats, and felony larceny.
