Story originally printed in the Coulee News or online at www.couleenews.com
Published - Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Bangor sex offender faces charges after photo allegations
Charges are expected to be filed today against a 53-year-old Bangor sex offender accused of photographing two teenage boys.
Larry Benoit faces possible felony charges of a sex offender photographing minors without a parent’s consent and possession of child pornography when he appears in La Crosse County Circuit Court.
Benoit is a registered sex offender stemming from a 1993 conviction of second-degree sexual assault of a child, Assistant District Attorney Dean Syrjanen said during Benoit’s bond hearing Thursday.
He is accused of taking photographs of two 13-year-old boys within the past month, Syrjanen said.
Benoit was arrested Thursday at his house on Oak Street after a parent reported he was hanging out with a 13-year-old, said Bangor Police Chief Scott Alo.
“When he turned over his cell phone, he told officers there would be things on his cell phone and asked what he meant, he said, ‘You know,’” Syrjanen said in court.
State statues prohibit those on the sex offender registry from photographing anyone younger than 17 without the parent’s permission.
Benoit is being held in the La Crosse County Jail on $2,000. As conditions of his bond, Benoit is restricted contact with the victims or any minors and cannot possess cameras, cell phones or computers.
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