Randi R. Benedick, 32, of Fenton, a former mental health therapist for Comtrea charged with five felonies for sexually abusing a teenage patient, will serve 120 days in the Jefferson County Jail followed by five years of probation.
Jefferson County Div. 1 Circuit Judge Robert Wilkins sentenced Benedick today (July 21) to five seven-year terms to be served concurrently, or at the same time. However, the sentences are to be suspended after Benedick serves the jail time and is placed on probation.
Benedick pleaded guilty on June 15 to two counts of second-degree statutory rape and three counts of second-degree statutory sodomy for having sex with a male teenager in 2014 and 2015, when he was 16.
All the charges are class C felonies punishable by up to seven years in prison.
During the sentencing today, Benedick, who wore a black suit, hung her head and sobbed continually as Wilkins addressed her.
“I’m sure this has been extremely embarrassing for you, but you were also extremely irresponsible,” Wilkins said. “You took a course of action, perhaps in a moment of weakness, and began a journey that will forever haunt you and the victim and family and friends.”
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Marie Pudlowski handled the case and Wilkins followed her recommendation for the sentence. Benedick was represented by N. Scott Rosenblum of the Rosenblum, Schwartz, Rogers & Glass law firm in St. Louis.
On July 1, the victim, a De Soto-18-year-old, filed a civil lawsuit against Benedick and Comtrea, asking for “a fair and reasonable sum of damages, including punitive damages” from both defendants.
In that suit, the victim claims that Comtrea was negligent and allowed him to be sexually abused.
In June 2014, a court ordered the teenager receive counseling through Comtrea and Benedick was assigned to be his therapist, providing the victim with individual counseling, as well as family counseling for him and his father, according to the lawsuit.
Benedick allegedly had sex with the victim at least 40 times between Nov. 25, 2014, and May 14, 2015, according to the probable-cause statement in the case.
The alleged incidents took place at Arnold City Park, the Strawberry Creek Nature Area in Arnold, the Sandy Creek Covered Bridge in Hillsboro, at area hotels, at a home in the 600 block of Harris Road in Arnold, where Benedick lived at the time, and at Bridle Ridge Acres, a Comtrea facility that offers equine therapy, where the victim eventually became a volunteer, according to court records.
Rosenblum said Benedick was a good candidate for probation because through her guilty pleas, she had “accepted responsibility for these acts.”
He also said she had a very supportive family and had “genuinely expressed her remorse for this contact.”
When asked if she wanted to make a statement, Benedick could barely get the words out as she sobbed and said, “I’m so terribly sorry for what I’ve done to the victim and his family.”
At the close of the sentencing, Benedick was handcuffed and taken from the courtroom to begin her sentence.
In addition to the 120 days in jail, Benedick will be supervised as a sex offender. She will be prohibited from having any contact with the victim or his family as well as any minor children with the exception of her own children.