Springdale man charged with sexually assaulting two boys

A Springdale man accused of sexually abusing two boys in a home where he was living is being held on a $100,000 bond after police said he admitted to touching the children under their clothing.

Benta Kabot, 54, faces two counts of second-degree sexual assault, according to court records filed Monday in Benton County Circuit Court.

According to a probable cause affidavit by Springdale Police Officer Jonathan Stuck, the case was reported to police Sept. 8. Stuck said he learned of it Sept. 15 and reviewed forensic interviews conducted with both boys at the Children’s Safety Center the day before.

In those interviews, the boys described being touched on their genitals by Kabot on multiple occasions over a period of months while he lived in their home, according to the affidavit. The boys said the abuse happened while their parents were at work or otherwise away, and one said Kabot continued after he was told to stop.

Stuck located Kabot through a vehicle registered to a woman he had been living with, the affidavit states. Kabot agreed to come to the Springdale Police Department and was interviewed Sept. 17 after waiving his Miranda rights.

According to the affidavit, Kabot first told the officer he grabbed the boys’ genitals over their clothing as a greeting, describing it as an innocent custom in his culture, and denied ever touching them under their clothes. After being confronted with the boys’ accounts, Kabot admitted he touched both boys under their clothing three or four times, but said it was not sexual and was a friendly way of playing with them, the affidavit states. He denied being attracted to the boys and said the children were lying about other allegations.

A Springdale detective also interviewed the woman Kabot had been living with. She told police she had seen Kabot touch the boys over their clothing but had never seen him touch them underneath, according to the affidavit.

Stuck wrote that the boys’ accounts were detailed and consistent with each other and that Kabot and the woman corroborated several of their statements.

Police asked for a $100,000 bond at the recommendation of Benton County prosecutors, citing Kabot as a flight risk. The affidavit states he is homeless, has family in Colorado and Oklahoma, and recently transferred his driver’s license to Alabama.

District Judge Jeff R. Conner found probable cause Sept. 17 and set bond at $100,000 cash or corporate surety. On Sept. 19, Conner issued a no-contact order barring Kabot from approaching or communicating with the two boys and prohibiting him from possessing firearms or ammunition.

Second-degree sexual assault is a Class B felony in Arkansas.

Kabot is scheduled to appear Oct. 26 at 8 a.m. before Benton County Circuit Court Division 2.

Criminal charges are accusations. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.