Women face charges after child in their care is hospitalized in Beaufort, police say
Two women face child neglect charges after an infant they were babysitting in Beaufort was hospitalized in November, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Musara Benjamin, 46, of Beaufort and Rhonda Benjamin, 29, of Beaufort were charged Tuesday with unlawful neglect of a child, according to the Beaufort County Detention Center jail log. The two were tasked by a member of the child’s family with looking after the infant — and had been for months, according to Maj. Bob Bromage from the sheriff’s office.
On Nov. 30, they brought the child to the emergency room at Beaufort Memorial Hospital, where deputies were later asked to respond, Bromage said. The arrest warrants for the Benjamin’s state that the 17-month-old had bruises and the child’s lips were “believed to be burned by a caustic chemical.”
The women were contacted by police and turned themselves in Tuesday, Bromage said.
A conviction on the charge can result in up to 10 years in prison, according to South Carolina law.
The child was in the custody of the Department of Social Services as of Thursday, Bromage said.
Both women were released from the detention center Tuesday on a $5,000 bond each, according to the warrants. Attorneys for the women have not been identified, according to the public index.
If you need to report suspected child abuse, you may contact the South Carolina Department of Social Services’ 24-hour hotline at (888)227-3487.
