A Tuesday afternoon shift at the local government building turned into a nightmare for a Fulton County worker when the father of her newborn baby showed up and attacked her on the job. Witnesses watched in shock as the dispute boiled over right inside the Fulton County Elections Hub on Campbellton Fairburn Road. Before anyone could step in, the man hit the woman, grabbed their eight-week-old son, and took off into the afternoon traffic.
The mother was left hurt and shaken at her workplace, stripped of her infant and her cellphone. She managed to flag down responding officers and tell them what happened. She identified the attacker as her child’s father, Richard Benton. She explained that Benton took her phone right out of her hands before driving away with their tiny boy, leaving her stranded without a way to reach him.
Police officers rushed to the elections center around 12:30 p.m. after receiving urgent calls about a physical fight on the property. When the first units arrived, they found the county worker desperately trying to explain the sudden snatching of her baby. Local authorities immediately realized the clock was ticking to find the eight-week-old child unharmed.
Every minute counts when a newborn is taken during a domestic violence incident. Officers gathered descriptions of Benton and began tracking his potential movement away from the Campbellton Fairburn Road facility. They knew they needed to establish contact fast before he went completely off the grid.
Because Benton had snatched the mother’s mobile device during the altercation, investigators had a direct line to him. Sergeant Jonathan Lyons with the Fulton County Police Department dialed the victim’s cell number, hoping Benton would pick up. When Benton answered, the sergeant stayed calm and kept the conversation focused strictly on the safety of the newborn boy.
During the call, Benton admitted he was driving down the highway with the baby in the vehicle. Sergeant Lyons kept talking to him, easing the tension and persuading him to pull off the road instead of running. The sergeant convinced Benton that surrendering peacefully was the best move for everyone involved, especially for the well-being of his infant son.
Benton agreed to pull into the College Park MARTA station, where officers were dispatched to meet him. Police moved in quickly, taking Benton into custody without any further fight or struggle. The eight-week-old baby was inspected, found completely uninjured, and handed right back to his mother’s arms.
While the infant is back home safe, the ordeal is far from over for Benton. Fulton County police confirmed that their domestic violence investigation remains active. Criminal charges are officially pending against Benton as investigators finalize their paperwork on the attack and abduction.
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