Update: The State Attorney dropped the charges against Lomack Bennett on Feb. 25, 2022.
The charges against Lomack Jones Bennett, officially anyway, are child abuse “without great bodily harm” and battery by strangulation, both felonies.
The “without great bodily harm” part appears to contradict the evidence, at least as reported by Bennett’s high school-age son after Bennett was done allegedly brutalizing him: the boy had a busted lip, and reported being thrown to the ground, choked, repeatedly slapped and shoved. The violence was such that the boy’s own blood spattered against his eyeglasses.
There is no charge of a hate crime–there hardly ever are in Flagler County–even though the motive for the alleged beating, according to the report, was nothing other than that Bennett’s son came home wearing make-up. Bennett explicitly questioned his son about his sexual orientation. Then the beating allegedly began, for no other reason, based on the son’s account, than because he was wearing make-up, and his father appeared to have suspicions about the boy’s sexual orientation. By definition, according to Florida law, that would be a reportable hate crime.
Florida schools’ safety codes include the School Environmental Safety Incident Reporting System known as SESIR. It collects data on 26 types of crimes and disruptive behavior involving students on or off campus, including violence against children. According to the Florida Department of Education, “All SESIR incidents motivated all or in part by hostility to the victim’s real or perceived race, religion, color, sexual orientation, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, political beliefs, marital status, age, social and family background, linguistic preference or mental/physical disability are required to be reported as Hate Crime-related.”
As with date rape or spousal abuse, the crime is no less of a crime if it is perpetrated by a family relation. According to the latest data from the Department of Justice, most hate crimes–28.9 percent–occur in or near homes, and 20 percent of hate crimes are motivated by sexual orientation. Hate crimes are notoriously underreported by victims or uncharged as such by law enforcement even as the FBI last year launched a campaign to encourage greater awareness and reporting of hate crimes.
Some members of the Flagler County School Board in the past two years have downplayed the dangers or difficulties LGBTQ students face from their home environment and pushed to defer such matters to parental authority. In the last few months, two board members, Jill Woolbright and Janet McDonald, have sought to ban certain school library books, particularly high school library books, that address adolescents’ struggles with sexual identity, non-acceptance and other consequences. (The same two school board members twice in the last four weeks rejected a proclamation that would have denounced hate.) The district has devised rules that would enable parents to prohibit their children from accessing certain books, in essence further isolating students from books they may be seeking, in the one place where they may feel safe to seek them.
In the case of the boy allegedly brutalized by his father, the boy was in the habit of putting on make-up at school for the school day, as numerous students do, and removing it before getting home, to avoid conflict. He had not done so in this case.
School officials at Matanzas High School report the alleged incident involving Bennett’s son to two school resource deputies on campus on Monday, after one of the boy’s teachers learned of it. The boy had approached him, told him of the incident, which had taken place on Friday (Feb. 4), showed him photographs of his injuries that he kept on his school-issued computer, and wondered whether he should notify law enforcement. At that point school employees are required by law to report the incident regardless. There is no indication in the arrest report that the alleged assault was reported as more than abuse, though the motive was verbalized.
According to the boy’s account to deputies, the boy came home from school that afternoon after his mother, Laronda McCaskell, picked him up from Matanzas. She began questioning him about the make-up, asked him to wipe his face with a baby wipe, then yelled at him for wearing make-up.
She then yelled out to Bennett–a convicted felon with a long history of arrests including charges of battery, aggravated assault and domestic violence–that the boy had been wearing make-up.
The boy described what happened next: Bennett approached him, questioned him about his sexual orientation, “slapped him for no reason and proceeded to choke him” to the point of making it difficult for him to breathe–In other words, the boy’s father was strangling him. The boy said that “after [Bennett] was done choking him, he threw him to the floor. [The boy] stated that after he got himself off the ground, [Bennett] pushed him against his bed.” The boy regained his footing only for Bennett to slap him again. [The boy] stated that the battering continued again after [Bennett] slapped him in the face one last time, which caused a laceration to his lip and causing blood to splatter on his eyeglasses.” After seeing his son bleed, Bennett “proceeded to yell at him to clean himself up and to clean his mouth.”
McCaskell, 46, told deputies by phone that she did not see a physical confrontation. Bennett spoke to deputies, said he confronted his son over the make-up, and told him he wasn’t old enough to make decisions of the sort, but that there’d been nothing physical.
Bennett was out on bond. He was arrested at the end of January on a second-degree felony charge of selling cocaine and a third degree felony charge of illegally using a two-way communication device. He posted $10,250 bond and was released.
He has now been charged with felony child abuse, a third degree felony, and battery by strangulation, a third degree felony. Despite apparently violating the terms of his pre-trial release on the earlier charges, he was again released, posting bail on $7,500 bond. The court has ordered him to have no contact with his son pending the case’s resolution. No other conditions apply.
Under Florida law, crimes committed with a motive of hate would, in this case, upgrade the charges to second-degree felonies. The State Attorney’s Office decides whether and how to charge an individual after receiving a charging affidavit from a law enforcement agency. It has not done so yet in this case.
Alonzo Hudson says
All of our young males need help. Punishment for make up. What a shame.
Regg Sr. says
Whatever happened with trying to understand why young people make the choices they do, that’s the position of the parent. We definitely can’t force them to see things our way, as hard as it is to accept certain aspects of their life, we still must respect their decision!
Alonzo says
Wow.
Mary Koonce says
If DeSantis has his way with the NO Gay law more and more of this is going to happen to kids.
Shawn says
What no gay law?
down south says
you’re correct gov desantis is to blame because he let this violent felon out of prison. keep them all locked up to prevent this type of activity. come on desantis please build more prisons for felons like this. we must stop the violence asap because people like mary koonce demand it
Steve says
As a Parent you have to accept who your Kids are IMO
Shawn says
So if they are homicidal maniacs like Jeffery Dahmer you have to accept them?
Steve says
They are still your kids. Dont have to agree with whom they are . IDK but Jeffs Mom may still have had some feelings for her demented Son. According to News she visited often and quite upset when murdered just sayin
matanzas student says
agreed
Steve says
As a Parent you have to accept who your Kids are IMO So now even though the “Father” is out on Bond pending Trial He still gets out on another Bond. That I don’t understand along with alot of other details about this. Hope the Batterer has a long stay to contemplate his actions.
Hope the boys gets the help he needs
Pissed in PC says
They sure as hell don’t sound like upstanding citizens when mom doesn’t help her son and dad is a known felon and drug dealer. I sure hope this boy has a safe place to stay and get any help he needs. This will only get worse with republicans hating people of color, LGBTQ and making it illegal for teachers to even teach about sexual orientation.
HammockBear says
You are incorrect in saying, “Republicans hating people of color, LGBTQ,etc.” Suggest in the future you do not insinuate, All Republicans are hating people of color and LGBTQ as it is not correct.
Pissed in PC says
They’re few and far between. But my past experiences are many are following the orange menace.
Robb says
Agreed! And DeathSantis is just as bad
Anon says
It’s only 99.999999% correct.
JonQPublik says
The refusal to apply any hate crimes charges is embarrassing to the FCSO. God forbid if they actually do something good for at-risk youth beyond holiday events geared only to improving their image.
Ray says
When I was a kid, my classmates would of kicked my ass worse than that!
ASF says
Sounds like Mom was an initiator of the abusive incident. She should be charged as well.
Deborah Coffey says
Lock him up. If you’re not going to love your children for “who” they are…or, if you think they might turn out to be LGBTQ and you don’t accept LGBTQ persons, then DON’T HAVE CHILDREN because the odds are pretty good you’ll get one. https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/diversity-inclusion/585711-us-lgbtq-population-hits-20-million
Joan says
So a convicted felon, on parole, walks out of jail by posting minimal bond after beating and strangling someone. And this is all ok? Why? Because the aggression was against his son? What if he attacked me or you? Would this be satisfactory for anyone? Who has the right to physically attack anyone because their viewpoints are different? Doesn’t matter who it is. Hands off!!
Betty says
Men shouldn’t ware makeup. Period.
Anon. says
Get used to it. LGBTQ+ is here to stay. You are probably jealous they look better wearing it than you. Praying none of your loved ones ever get saddled with your hatred.
Trailer Bob says
Just another day in paradise…
Paul A. says
Beating the kid up was wrong, period. That being said, expecting people to accept behavior that violates moral values they were raised with, just because “that’s how things are, now”, is unreasonable. We have been, and continue to be legislated into an “anything goes, or else” atmosphere under the “personal freedoms” umbrella.
At what point will/should a line be drawn?? What will be the next taboo to be legitimized in the name of “freedom”… bestiality, child sex, killing animals/people?? The saying “Oh… THAT won’t ever happen!” is no longer a given.
joseph falis says
and women should only wear skirts and dresses ,right ? a wee bit of a smile !
Concerned Citizen says
I know Ray W will chime in at some point blasting us but I have to say this.
Our Judges keep failing us time and time again.
This guy is on parole. And was able to post bond? Do the Judges and Sheriff’s Office not bother contacting the parole office to see if they want to put a hold on him? Or even better. Why is it not an automatic no bond if you are on parole or probabtion?
I understand that different states operate differently. But as a young Deputy Sheriff we never saw bonds for this type of stuff in Ga. If it was a serious offense it was usually a no bond until first appearance. And any suspect I brought in on probation or parole the absolute first thing I did was contact their PO to see if we could hold them. And they usually always cooperated. Now they get to post bond. And we get to hope that that state files for motion to revoke.
All I can do is shake my head when someone tries to tell me that Flagler is not soft on crime. The statistics speak for themselves. Especially when a repeat offender is still out doing what he’s doing.
Steve says
If one does should they be beaten for it. By their “Dad”
Rick says
I blame our education system which seems to pushing different sexuality to kids who are too young to understand . Most high school kids can not decide a major in college. No way should they be pushed to determine sexuality. With that said no parent should beat a kid.