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CT man convicted of rape found 40 years later using dead 5-year-old’s identity in Florida
WTNH ^ | Nov 5, 2020

Posted on 11/05/2020 10:01:34 PM PST by nickcarraway

A Connecticut man is behind bars after more than 40 years on the run from police.

According to the Department of Justice, 76-year-old Douglas Bennett was convicted by a jury in Connecticut of robbery, kidnapping, sexual contact, deviate sexual intercourse, and the 1974 rape of a teenage girl. He was sentenced to nine to 18 years in Connecticut State Prison in 1976.

However, Bennett, never turned himself in to begin his sentence.

Records show that, in 1977, Bennett assumed the identity of a 5-year-old who had died in 1945 and remained on the run for more than 40 years.

Court records show Bennett was arrested at his Clearwater, Florida home on Wednesday after a fingerprint comparison confirmed that he was the same person convicted in Connecticut in 1975.

At the time of Bennett’s arrest, he was in possession of a Florida driver license bearing the false identifying information, but containing Bennett’s photograph.

Bennett is charged with passport fraud and aggravated identity theft. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 12 years in federal prison.

“I really appreciate what Florida and the feds did to resolve this 46-year-old case,” Wethersfield Police Chief James Cetran told News 8 Thursday. “Douglas Bennett was convicted of a very heinous crime against a teenage girl and deserves to serve his sentence.”


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: clearwater; fugitive

1 posted on 11/05/2020 10:01:34 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

I’m curious what kind of life he lived on the run?


2 posted on 11/05/2020 10:08:18 PM PST by Professional
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To: Professional

Law enforcement had recent fingerprints. That might be a hint.


3 posted on 11/05/2020 10:13:02 PM PST by UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide (Reverse Wickard v Filburn (1942) - and - ISLAM DELENDA EST)
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To: nickcarraway

Did he vote under other aliases? Of course.


4 posted on 11/05/2020 10:37:38 PM PST by HighSierra5
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To: nickcarraway
Bennett assumed the identity of a 5-year-old who had died in 1945 and remained on the run for more than 40 years.

The dead five-year-old remained on the run for more than 40 years? Impressive trick!

5 posted on 11/05/2020 10:41:55 PM PST by TXBlair (We will not forget Benghazi.)
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To: nickcarraway
Bennett is charged with passport fraud and aggravated identity theft. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 12 years in federal prison.

I assume that means added on to his 9-18 years sentence for the rape case, yes?
6 posted on 11/05/2020 10:44:45 PM PST by Svartalfiar
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To: Professional

Hard to tell, but the recent fingerprints and the passport deal could be how they nabbed him. He may have been looking to leave the country. Forty years ago, they didn’t have the computer tech to track down a bail-jumper. If he kept a low profile, didn’t break the law, and worked under the table, he could go on for life without getting captured. I guess back then it was fairly easy to steal an identity and start a new life since it was basically paper-driven and they were state charges, not federal. Still, if he’d have served his time, he could have had the peace of mind knowing that the cops wouldn’t be kicking in his door at any given night at 3 AM........


7 posted on 11/05/2020 10:50:05 PM PST by Viking2002 (When aliens fly past Earth, they probably lock their doors.)
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To: HighSierra5; nickcarraway

sssssh nickcarraway doesn’t want to discuss the election fraud for some reason your post probably makes him uncomfortable


8 posted on 11/05/2020 10:50:11 PM PST by snarkytart
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To: nickcarraway

If he is returned to Connecticut, they will give him a medal and a parade, esp. in New Haven, the “RED” center of the state.

After-all, look at who they elected to Congress.


9 posted on 11/05/2020 10:59:50 PM PST by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper
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To: nickcarraway

They need to let him go. He might catch Covid in Jail. /sarc


10 posted on 11/05/2020 11:03:21 PM PST by Revel
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To: nickcarraway
A few observations:

For robbery, kidnapping, sexual contact, deviate sexual intercourse, and the 1974 rape of a teenage girl he gets 9 -18 years, which in CT would really mean 4 - 8 years. BUT for passport fraud he gets 18 years? What kind or priorities are these?

No failure to appear or fugitive from justice charges?

So the dumb cluck went down and tried to get a passport, with his own, wanted fingerprints? This guy has schiff for brains..
11 posted on 11/05/2020 11:10:32 PM PST by krogers58
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To: Revel
They need to let him go. He might catch Covid in Jail. /sarc

He's going to catch something in jail, with COVID being the least of his concerns.
12 posted on 11/05/2020 11:12:21 PM PST by krogers58
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To: snarkytart; HighSierra5

What in the world would say something stupid like that. You can’t find any such post I made, because there isn’t one. If I could search back far enough, you’d see I posted about election fraud years ago, and no one listened.


13 posted on 11/05/2020 11:27:00 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

I apologize.


14 posted on 11/05/2020 11:31:25 PM PST by snarkytart
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To: nickcarraway
I'll bet he voted for Biden in both states.

When do we storm the Bastille?

15 posted on 11/05/2020 11:33:12 PM PST by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change with out notice.)
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To: nickcarraway

Sounds like would-be assassin in The Day of the Jackal (1973)


16 posted on 11/05/2020 11:35:45 PM PST by Ken H (Best SOTU ever!)
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To: Revel

And it’s his first offense!


17 posted on 11/06/2020 2:57:00 AM PST by Does so (Make mail-ins "provisional", count if walk-in vote is close. Ban ALL provisional if 2 are faked.)
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To: nickcarraway

Why were his fingerprints taken? Submitting fingerprints is not a requirement to get a passport.


18 posted on 11/06/2020 4:35:14 AM PST by ops33 (SMSgt, USAF, Retired)
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To: nickcarraway

Perhaps Mr. Bennett picked up a few dollars working as a consultant on how to steal a social security number. He may have had Barack Obama’s grandmother as a client. After all, she took a social security number that was assigned to a man from Connecticut (who moved to HI and died there) and gave it to Barack even though Barack had never set foot in CT. And when Barack’s fraudulent social security number became known the country merely yawned. We have done the same concerning voter fraud for years, and now we are in the midst of a constitutional crisis that may well be a harbinger of the demise of our republic.


19 posted on 11/06/2020 5:27:27 AM PST by Saltmeat (69)
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To: nickcarraway; All
More detail and better reporting:

Douglas Bennett, 76, was arrested Wednesday at his Clearwater home and charged with passport fraud and aggravated identity theft. He faces up to 12 years in federal prison, which would be served before any state sentence. A warrant for his arrest was still active from Connecticut.

According to a criminal complaint, Bennett submitted a passport application in July 2016 using the name, date of birth and Social Security number of a person who was born in 1940 and died in 1945. Emergency contact information in the application led investigators to suspect Bennett’s true identity, which they confirmed with fingerprints after his arrest, the complaint said.

Bennett was convicted in 1975 by a Connecticut jury of robbery, kidnapping, sexual contact, rape and deviate sexual intercourse. He was sentenced to nine to 18 years in prison but remained free on bail while he appealed. After losing his appeal, records showed Bennett never turned himself in. Bennett assumed the fraudulent identity in 1977 and remained a fugitive for more than 40 years, the complaint said.

20 posted on 11/06/2020 5:30:16 AM PST by marktwain (President Trump and his supporters are the Resistance. His opponents are the Reactionaries.)
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