Ex-Cross Creek staffer jailed for having sex with student for 8 months

Lamarquez Benning

Date: November 05, 2022

A former worker for Cross Creek High School remained in jail this weekend on charges of having a lengthy sexual relationship with a student.

Lamarquez Benning, 21, was arrested Oct. 28 on a charge of sexual contact by employee or agent in the first degree. An indictment says that Benning engaged in a sexual relationship with the female student from October 2021 to May 2022. The age of the student and Benning’s official job were not available.

According to Georgia law, an employee can be arrested for the offense when they knowingly engage in sexually explicit conduct with a person whom they know is enrolled as a student at a school of where they are an employee.



Benning is being held without bond at the Richmond County Detention Center. A bond hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Tuesday, according to online records.

On his LinkedIn page, Benning says he had originally worked for the Richmond County School District as an office secretary under an Internship in 2019. The page includes this statement: “I am a freshman at THE Fort Valley State University, with a major of Elementary Education/ Special Edu, I plan to become a teacher, where i would later move up to a administrator, with my skills of Leadership and problem solving would help me in my career. I am looking for an intern in the career path.”

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The Author

Greg Rickabaugh is an award-winning crime reporter in the Augusta-Aiken area with experience writing for The Augusta Chronicle and serving as publisher of The Jail Report. He also owns AugustaCrime.com. Rickabaugh is a 1994 graduate of the University of South Carolina and has appeared on several crime documentaries on the Investigation Discovery channel. He is married with two daughters.

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