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	Rape Charges Dropped against Saratoga Priest By San Jose CBS 5 April 25, 2006 http://cbs5.com/localwire/localfsnews/bcn/2006/04/25/ n/HeadlineNews/RAPECHARGES-DROPPED/resources_bcn_html A Saratoga priest who was arrested last month on suspicion of raping an Oregon woman he counseled for more than a year will not face criminal charges, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office announced today. The Rev. Randy Benas, 45, of the Sacred Heart Parish in Saratoga, was taken into custody March 30 after a 29-year-old woman accused him of raping her at a Motel 6 on Mathilda Avenue in Sunnyvale March 28. "All I can really say is that there was not sufficient evidence to prove it without a reasonable doubt," Victoria Brown, the head of the sexual assault division at the district attorney's office, said today. Brown said her unit reviews more than 800 sexual assault cases per year and that it is not unusual for her to dismiss charges for lack of evidence. She declined to comment further saying the specifics are not public record. A secretary for the Sacred Heart Parish was unaware of the decision when reached by phone today, but said, "I'm glad they don't have enough evidence." She declined to give her name. Benas has been on administrative leave since his arrest and it was not immediately known how the dropped charges would affect his future with the Sacred Heart Parish. The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety made the decision to arrest Benas at the church after listening to phone conversations between him and the woman the day after the alleged rape. Benas and the woman had corresponded via phone and e-mail for more than a year before deciding to meet for the first time at the motel. According to police, the woman had scheduled a trip to San Diego and Benas suggested that she stop in the South Bay to visit him. When she arrived, however, police claim she became uncomfortable about his decision to include himself in the overnight stay. After the woman complained about Benas' arrangements, police said the two checked into the motel where the alleged rape occurred shortly afterward. At some point, Benas fell asleep but the woman remained in the room. After waking up, Benas informed the woman he would leave the motel and return later. The woman left and went to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, where a sexual assault team examined her and contacted police. According to police, the two began a sort of mentoring relationship after Benas responded to an e-mail the woman had sent out to a number of clergymen asking a biblical question. Benas was the only one to respond, police have said. Benas and the woman began to talk regularly via e-mail and phone, discussing various problems she was experiencing. According to police, however, the two had never talked romantically nor did the woman anticipate any sexual advances when she agreed to meet Benas. "The sexual encounter was not consensual in any fashion," Sunnyvale Public Safety Lt. Marty Dale said at a news conference March 31. Benas has been out on a $200,000 bail since shortly after his arrest. A native of the Philippines, where he was ordained in 1985, Benas moved to the Bay Area in 1993, when he began to serve the Diocese of San Jose. He has worked as a parochial vicar at Sacred Heart Parish since June 2003. According to his online profile, Benas received his theological education in the Philippines, where he also studied sociology and philosophy. He is the sixth of 10 children. "Pastoral work has been a source of great enjoyment; meeting people has been his inspiration in his priestly ministry," the Sacred Hearth Parish Web site states about Benas.
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