A 23-year-old Hillsdale man was arrested March 10 on suspicion of second-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Michigan State Police arrested Joshua Bryan Benoit on a felony warrant at a home in Hillsdale, according to a March 11 Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office news release. Before his arrest, Benoit worked as a driver for Call and Go Now, a new metered taxi company in the city of Hillsdale, which has fired him since.
“I am still in shock over this arrest as it was a complete surprise to me,” said Charles “Chopper” Ferguson, owner of Call and Go Now. “I had very high hopes for Joshua’s future in this company. The passengers liked him, too.”
Ferguson said he informed Benoit of his dismissal over the telephone on the day police arrested him.
Call and Go Now does background checks on all its hires, Ferguson said. Benoit passed his, he added.
“I will not comment on his guilt or innocence,” Ferguson said. “It is up to the legal system now to sort things out.”
Benoit’s name, photo, and biography disappeared from the transportation service’s website March 10. Benoit’s bond was not posted.
Second-degree criminal sexual conduct can include sexual contact with someone under the age of 16, with a relative, or with someone who is mentally incapable or coerced through the help of at least one other person. If convicted, the punishment is imprisonment up to 15 years.
