Case of Teacher Accused of Rape Heads to District Court
TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) – The teacher who admitted to sleeping with a student will hear his case in district court.
Jason Benjamin is being charged with rape, because he admitted to having sex with a former student who was 17 at the time. He was back in 5th District Magistrate Court Friday morning for his preliminary hearing. He did not enter a plea.
The judge heard from one of the reporting detectives on the case as well as the mother of the victim. The detective went over details of his investigation and what he found. It was consistent with previous court records and KMVT reports.
The judge said the evidence was clear, and the case should continue in district court. They did not set a date yet.
Benjamin’s attorney did ask for a modification to the no-contact order set by the judge in the arraignment. He said the order, which barred Benjamin from any contact with minors that weren’t relatives, was too broad.
Under the order, Benjamin would have to leave a gas station while pumping gas if teenagers showed up, his lawyer said.
The prosecution said this order is standard, but the judge agreed to modify the order to allow for incidental contact.