Police: Sex Offender Raped Mentally Retarded Woman

PLYMOUTH, Mass. -- A convicted sex offender from Chicago is being held on $1 million bail, accused of raping a mentally challenged woman while selling magazines door-to-door in downtown Plymouth.

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David Boeri Reports On Charges

NewsCenter 5's David Boeri reported that prosecutors said Benjamin Turner, 43, has a long criminal record.

Turner appears on Utah's Sex Offender Registry where he was convicted and sentenced to prison for attempted forcible sex abuse of a woman. Prosecutors said Turner's out-of-state criminal history also includes convictions for armed robbery, kidnapping, and other sex crimes.

Turner was working his way down Mayflower Street in Plymouth this week when prosecutors say he entered a group assisted-living home and forcibly raped a 39-year-old retarded woman.

"We are alleging force, and we are alleging the indecent portion on a mentally challenged individual," said District Attorney Timothy Cruz.

When alerted by the woman's caretaker, police searched the area, found, and arrested Turner who had resumed door-to-door magazine sales. When Turner was arrested, police say, he had a check for $285 written by the alleged victim and receipts for magazine subscriptions ordered by the woman after police say she was raped and Turner demanded money.

"He was subsequently brought back to the area, and did make a statement at one point to the effect of he had consensual relations with an individual in that room," said Cruz.

Turner, a Chicago resident, was selling magazines for a company called Paragon Management, Inc., whose owner told Boeri that Turner has been associated with the company for two years.

"We do background checks. There was clearance before he went door to door," said owner Willy Jackson. "Had I known, I would have snatched him off the street."

The owner claimed Turner provided a Social Security number and a date of birth to Plymouth police and thought police cleared him. But Plymouth police said Friday that they did not clear Turner and didn't do a background check. Police are prohibited from doing criminal background checks on door-to-door peddlers.