North Texas fitness trainer John Benton arrested for invasive recordings
A well-known personal fitness trainer from Flower Mound is accused of secretly taping a video of a woman while she was undressing.
FLOWER HILL, Texas – A well-known personal fitness trainer from Flower Mound is accused of secretly taping a video of a woman while she was undressing.
John Benton, 41, was arrested earlier this week and charged with invasive visual recordings in a bathroom or dressing room.
Police have not yet released details of the incident, which the alleged victim said took place in August 2020.
According to the victim’s lawyer, the incident occurred at a location where Benton was taping his training videos.
She said she discovered a GoPro camera while recording, hidden behind some shampoo bottles in a bathroom where she was changing.
The Flower Mound Police Department was called in to take the initial report and the case was referred to the Denton County Attorney who presented it to a grand jury.
Benton was charged on September 16 and later arrested.
He was released with a $ 20,000 bond. Prosecutors said his next trial is expected to be in the next three or four weeks.
The victim has reached out on social media saying she is still processing the news, but said in a statement: “It’s been a year since I first reported him to the police and it has been very difficult for me to get on with my life while also bearing this enormous burden. I have a lot of emotional scars from this incident, but today I finally feel that the healing has begun. “
The police are only aware of one incident so far, but investigators ask all other victims to contact them as well.
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Benton’s attorney said his client denied the allegations and was looking forward to his day in court.
His training videos on YouTube and personal training made Benton popular in the competitive and modeling industries.
According to the John Benton Model Fitness website, Benton is a “highly sought-after personal trainer in the fashion, film, and pageant industries in Dallas, TX. He is known for making amazing strides in reducing the hips and waistlines and getting long, lean To create muscles “. . “
In a statement posted on Instagram, the company said it was pulling out of business immediately based on the allegations.
“Our customers, their respect and their safety are of the utmost importance to us at JB Model Fitness. We exist to serve them and that will always be our number one priority, ”the company said.
All courses and consultations were paused.
“We are evaluating every part of the business, operations and brand to determine what changes we will make in the future, but we know that our only commitment is to our customers and helping them as best we can in this evolving situation” John Benton said Model Fitness said.
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Benton was the official trainer for the Miss Dallas and Miss Dallas Teen competitions.
“The relationship between the Miss Dallas Pageant and John Benton Model Fitness will be terminated with immediate effect,” the organization announced on social media.
