Bensalem Teen to Stand Trial on Felony Sex Assault Charges

A Bensalem teen was formally arraigned Friday on felony charges related to multiple alleged sexual assaults on minors.

Joshua Ray Benson, 19, of the 2000 block of Brown Avenue, stands accused of sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault without consent following allegations from at least eight different minor girls.

Police referred to Benson as a “repeat offender” as he was already serving time in a juvenile detention center for allegedly sexually assaulting five girls when several more girls came forward and levied additional allegations.  

Benson was then charged with additional counts for crimes police say he committed as an adult.

According to police, Benson would befriend girls by meeting them on a dating website or through other people. Police said over a few weeks the girls would come to trust Benson and at some point agree to have sex with him. 

According to court documents, the sex then turned from consensual to "forcible." Police said Benson claimed to have "lost control" and admitted sexually assaulting one of the girls at his Bensalem residence and other "secluded locations" in the township.

Benson remains in custody at the Bucks County Correctional Center on $5 million bail.

A trial is scheduled for Feb. 24 at 9 a.m. at the Bucks County Courthouse in Doylestown.