Florida Man Arrested After 40 Years On Run For Rape, Kidnapping

CLEARWATER, FL — A Clearwater man is behind bars after being on the run for more than 40 years after being convicted of kidnapping and rape.

Douglas Bennett, 76, was arrested at his home in Clearwater after a fingerprint comparison confirmed that he was the same person convicted in Connecticut in 1975 of robbery, kidnapping, sexual contact, rape and deviate sexual intercourse. He was sentenced to nine to 18 years in Connecticut State Prison, however, Bennett never turned himself in to begin his sentence.

The United States Attorney's Office in Tampa has filed charges of fraud and aggravated identity theft against Bennett. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 12 years in federal prison.

According to the complaint, in July 2016, Bennett submitted a passport application using the name, date of birth and Social Security number of a 5-year-old child who had died in 1945. He used that same identity on a Florida driver's license found in his possession when he was arrested.

The U.S. State Attorney's Office believes he's been living under this fake identity for four decades.

On Nov. 4, Bennett's past caught up with him.

He was arrested on federal and state of Connecticut warrants. A fingerprint comparison confirmed that Bennett was the same person convicted in Connecticut in 1975.

The case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, with support from the Department of State National Passport Center, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Connecticut U.S. Marshals Task Force.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Favorit.