Homestead mother, son charged after girl, 8, reports being hit with belt, bound with shoelaces, cops say

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Police in Homestead arrested a mother and her son on child abuse charges.

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Officers with the Homestead Police Department said they took Rebecca Bouie, 37, and Jamaury Elijah Benoit, 19, into custody on Monday after they said the 8-year-old victim reported the abuse while she was at school.

According to police, the child said her mother, Bouie, and brother, Benoit, “hit her with a belt on her arms, legs and abdomen,” according to an arrest report, which also stated, “The victim has multiple healed patterned markings on her arms, legs, and abdomen consistent with having been struck with a belt.”

The victim also told police that Benoit would “bound her wrists and ankles together with shoelaces” and left her like that for at least an hour, the arrest report states.

Additionally, records revealed that in January, Benoit was arrested for child abuse on the same victim and was issued a non-expiring stay away order, which said he could not have any contact with the victim.

Investigators then discovered that at some point after the order was issued, Bouie allowed Benoit back into the home where the victim also lived.

Jail records show Bouie is facing felony charges of child abuse with no great bodily harm and child neglect with no great bodily harm, while Benoit was charged with a felony count of aggravated child abuse or torture with great bodily harm and a misdemeanor charge of violation of a domestic violence injunction.

As of Thursday morning, both were being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, with Bouie on a $5,000 bond and Benoit’s bond listed as “to be set.”

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David Dwork

David Dwork

David Dwork joined the WPLG Local 10 News team in August 2019. Born and raised in Miami-Dade County, David has covered South Florida sports since 2007.