Cross Creek High School employee La’Marquez Benning accused of having sex with student

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A 21-year-old man is in Richmond County jail after being accused of having a sexual relationship with a student while he was employed at Cross Creek High School.

La’Marquez Benning, 21, of Hephzibah, was arrested Oct. 28 on a grand jury arrest warrant and remained in Richmond County jail Wednesday in lieu of $8,450 bond, according to jail records.

According to an incident report from the Richmond County School System police, Benning worked at the school as a paraprofessional and the student was an 11th-grader.

MORE CRIME COVERAGE:

He’s charged with sexual be an employee or agent in the first degree, according to a Richmond County Grand Jury indictment issued Oct. 22.

The “series of incidents“ occurred between Oct. 9, 2021, and May 22, 2022, according to the indictment.

Benning, while an employee of Cross Creek High School, engaged in sexual with a female he knew was enrolled as a student at the school, according to the indictment. It happened “contrary to the laws of said State, the good order, peace and dignity thereof,” according to the indictment.

Benning is not currently listed in the staff directory at the school, and we’ve reached out to the Richmond County School System to learn the status of his employment and his work role.

His LinkedIn profile describes him as an elementary/special education major at Fort Valley State University.