Repeat Offender Sentenced to Life Without Parole After Rejecting Plea Deal in Brutal Rock Hill Kidnapping Case

Benjamin Louis Bennett was sentenced to life without parole after a York County jury convicted him of kidnapping and robbery. He had previously rejected a 20-year plea.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 25, 2026, 5:37 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Herald

Violent Encounter at Pelican’s SnoBalls

The trial of Benjamin Louis Bennett concluded with a swift and severe verdict in York County’s Moss Justice Center. The charges originated from a March 31, 2025, incident where Bennett targeted 21-year-old Geo Fields, a student working a late shift alone at Pelican’s SnoBalls on Anderson Road. Prosecutors detailed how Bennett lingered in the shop before passing a note claiming he possessed a firearm. The situation escalated when Bennett moved behind the counter, physically seizing Fields and forcibly dragging her to a rear bathroom, where he blocked her in before fleeing with the store's cash drawer and the victim's phone.

Surveillance Evidence and Victim Testimony

The prosecution’s case relied heavily on high-definition surveillance footage that captured the entire interaction. Supervisors at the business had been watching the live feed in real-time after Fields sent a text expressing her discomfort. During the two-day trial, the jury viewed the video evidence and heard direct testimony from Fields, who is now 22. The clarity of the evidence and the harrowing nature of the assault led the jury to return guilty verdicts for both kidnapping and strong-arm robbery in approximately half an hour.

The Legal Consequences of a Rejected Plea

Bennett’s life sentence is a direct result of South Carolina’s strict sentencing guidelines for repeat violent offenders. Prior to the trial, the state offered Bennett a 20-year plea deal, which he officially rejected. Because Bennett’s criminal record includes two prior armed robbery convictions from Richland County, a new conviction for kidnapping classified as a violent crime under state law triggered a mandatory sentence of life without the possibility of parole. While the jury was not informed of his prior record during the guilt phase, the sentencing phase required the judge to apply the life mandate.