According to police, they started investigating 36-year-old Jessica Benoit on July 29, 2024 after receiving reports from a victim who found a tracking device on his vehicle.
In August 2024, they said they responded to another call from the victim. This time, a tracker was found on a stuffed teddy bear. The victim told troopers that he believed Benoit, whom he was previously in a relationship with, was responsible for the trackers.
According to the arrest warrant, Benoit used the name of another person when she went online to register the tracking devices. By Oct. 16, search warrant was obtained to gain account information about the tracker found inside the teddy bear, state police said.
While the account was under a different name, the payment information listed Benoit’s name. Investigators said they reviewed the GPS data and found it showed tracking history for both the suspect’s home and the victim’s locations.
Officials spoke with Benoit and she allegedly told them that she placed the tracker in the bear because she would send items to the victim’s home but would not get them back. She revealed to them that her relationship with the victim was “hostile.” She claimed the victim made up lies to obtain the restraining order and that the bear was sentimental to her.
She also told police that she did not place the tracker on the victim’s vehicle. On Nov. 4, a search warrant was authorized for the tracker found on the vehicle. State police said that too was registered by Benoit. The victim’s address was listed several times in the tracking history.
State police said the information showed a pattern of stalking. In addition to electronic stalking, Benoit was charged with criminal impersonation and third-degree identity theft.
She was released on a $20,000 court-set bond and faced a judge on Thursday in Danielson.
