A former Chapel Hill High School educator recently pleaded guilty to having sex with one of his students around a decade ago, setting up a stint in prison.
44-year-old David Orion Bennett, who taught social studies at the high school from 2006 until he resigned in May 2017, formally pleaded guilty on September 28 to a variety of charges stemming from three incidents — which are listed in the court records as February 2015, March 2016 and December 2017 — just days before he was set to be tried in court. They include: attempted statutory rape, two counts of sexual activity with a student by a teacher, two counts of indecent liberties with a child, and indecent liberties with a student, all of which are felonies.
Superior Court Judge L. Todd Burke — who is a Forsyth County judge serving in rotation at Orange County — signed off on the plea and sentenced Bennett to serve between nine and 16 years in prison for the crimes. The maximum punishment, if he had faced a jury and been convicted on all charges, amounted to 64 years in prison. Bennett’s plea deal also dismissed two felony charges of statutory offense of a person 15 years-old or younger.
Bennett moved to the Chapel Hill community to attend UNC and lived in the area permanently after graduation. According to the CHCCS district, he departed Chapel Hill High School and public education altogether in 2017 after he faced three disciplinary actions in five months, none of which appeared to be tied to the sexual offenses. Bennett was arrested on the charges in August 2023, several years after the offenses took place, after the former student divulged their sexual encounters to their mental health counselor and the family decided to take action.
In a statement provided to Chapelboro, CHCCS Chief Communications Officer Andy Jenks said the district “cooperated fully” with the criminal investigation into Bennett’s actions in 2023 and takes its role in protecting students “very seriously.”
“We deeply respect the victim’s decision to come forward and are grateful that the criminal justice system has taken decisive action,” Jenks added. “While state law prevents us from commenting on specific personnel investigations regarding this employee, CHCCS does not and will never tolerate sexual harassment or assault in our schools. Any report regarding conduct of this nature receives an immediate and full investigation, as well as reports to law enforcement and the State Board of Education licensing authorities as required by law.”
After his resignation from the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district, Bennett then became a licensed real estate agent and worked at least four years with Franklin Street Realty in Chapel Hill. Broker-in-Charge Sammy Martin told Chapelboro he fired Bennett on August, 7, 2023, as soon as he learned of the charges.
“He was terminated immediately and removed from our roster the following day,” Martin said in a statement. “We understand the profound impact that such crimes have on the victim, their families and our community. We are resolute in our commitment to transparency and accountability in ALL communities, regardless of who is involved, when it comes to offenses like these.”
Bennett remains in the Orange County Detention Center as of Thursday, October 8, as he awaits for transfer to prison. When released, the plea agreement requires him to register as a sex offender for the following 30 years.
If you or someone you know are seeking free and confidential sexual abuse recovery resources, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center offers 24-hour phone and text lines (919-967-7273) and a 24-hour online chat. The free, national sexual abuse hotline offered by RAINN is 800-566-4673 and you can text “HOPE” to 64673. If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911.
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