03/25/2026
Yesterday, a York County jury found Benjamin Bennett guilty of common law robbery and kidnapping. He received a life sentence under South Carolina's two-strikes law as he had previously been convicted for Richland County armed robberies (one most serious strike), and his second most serious strike came with his conviction yesterday for kidnapping for forcing the victim in this case into a bathroom after a robbery.
On March 31, 2025, around 8:30 PM, Bennett entered Pelican's on Anderson Road in Rock Hill while the victim was working alone. Bennett made her feel uneasy, so she texted her boss who began watching a live stream of the surveillance video. Bennett handed a note to the victim "Don't scream, I've got a gun. Just do what you are told, and I'm gone."
The employee attempted to lock the door to her employees-only area, but Bennett beat her to the door and forced his way back behind the counter, grabbed her, and took $200 to $300 from the register and the victim's cell phone.
The employee's boss called the police who responded so quickly that the Rock Hill Police Department sirens were heard by the victim when Bennett forced her into a bathroom and blocked her from the doorway. Upon hearing the sirens, Bennett then left the bathroom and fled on foot. He was able to get away that night, but officers recognized him from the surveillance video and later arrested him after the victim picked him out of a photo line-up.
He remained incarcerated in the York County Detention Center until trial this week. While in the jail, he admitted in a jail phone call that he had robbed the victim. He rejected the State's twenty-year plea offer. The jury deliberated for thirty-four minutes.
Senior Solicitor Leslie Robinson and Assistant Solicitor Heather Burdette prosecuted the case. We would like to thank the victim for her bravery and Rock Hill South Carolina Police Department for its swift response that ended Bennett's actions before they could go any further.
