On-Duty Deputy Assault
Former Georgia Deputy Charged with On-Duty Sexual Assault Following Internal Investigation
A Georgia sheriff's deputy assigned to protect students at Northside High School has been charged with raping a woman while he was on duty. Nakia Benefield, 49, faces four felony charges — rape, aggravated sexual battery, false imprisonment, and violation of oath of office — after Warner Robins police responded to a sexual assault call on May 18, 2026, according to 13WMAZ.
Benefield was fired on June 1 and arrested two days later. Sheriff Matt Moulton said his office acted quickly: "Allegations of criminal misconduct involving a law enforcement officer are among the most serious matters any agency can face," Macon Telegraph reported him saying.
Deputy Disabled His GPS to Leave Post Undetected
On the morning of May 18, Benefield attended a juvenile court hearing in his official capacity, according to 11Alive News. Instead of returning to Northside High School, he allegedly drove to a private home in Warner Robins. Before he left, he deliberately left his Mobile Data Terminal — the in-car computer used to track deputies — at the school. He also disabled his portable radio to cut off GPS monitoring, KSDK reported.
Warner Robins police responded to a sexual assault call at the residence that afternoon. Surveillance footage from inside the home, along with the victim's statement, identified Benefield as the suspect. The victim is an adult woman and is not a student or staff member of the Houston County School District, 13WMAZ confirmed.
Sheriff Fired Benefield Before Criminal Charges Were Filed
The Houston County Sheriff's Office moved fast. Within 24 hours of the assault call, an internal affairs review found multiple policy violations. Sheriff Moulton upgraded Benefield's status from paid leave to suspension without pay on May 19, according to Macon Telegraph. Benefield had until May 29 to appeal his pending termination. He filed no appeal.
His employment ended officially on June 1. Warner Robins police arrested him on June 3 and booked him into the Houston County Jail. The Sheriff's Office noted that Benefield was fired before he was even formally charged — arguing their internal standards are stricter than the criminal threshold. "The foundation of public safety is trust," Sheriff Moulton said, per 13WMAZ.
Violation of Oath Charge Adds Serious Legal Weight
In Georgia, a rape conviction carries a minimum of 25 years to life in prison under state law, with no first-offender status available, according to WTSP. The aggravated sexual battery charge adds up to 20 additional years. Legal analysts note that the "violation of oath of office" charge is especially powerful — it only requires prosecutors to show the officer broke a written policy while on duty, making it easier to secure a conviction even if other charges become harder to prove.
The deliberate disabling of his GPS and radio may also help prosecutors show intent. Investigators say those actions show Benefield planned to conceal his movements — a detail that could be used to argue premeditation, KSDK reported.
Northside High Has Faced Two Major Arrests in Five Years
This is the second major arrest of a Northside High official for sexual violence in recent years. In February 2026, former Vice Principal Joshua Lee Mason was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years for aggravated child molestation, according to 13WMAZ. Mason was arrested in 2021 while still serving at the school. The Benefield case now puts renewed pressure on how the school screens and monitors authority figures on campus.
The Houston County Board of Education had contracted exclusively with the Sheriff's Office for all school resource officers since late 2022, ending arrangements with city police departments. That deal was meant to improve "continuity of operations." With roughly 1,800 students at Northside High, community members are now calling for stronger oversight of how those deputies are tracked while on duty, ABC10 reported.
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