Born in
Kankakee, Illinois, Benoit graduated from
Notre Dame High School in
Riverside, California, and went on to earn an
Associate degree at
Riverside Community College in 1974. In 1978, he earned a
Bachelor's degree from
California State University, Los Angeles, and in 1986 he graduated from the
FBI National Academy. Benoit earned a
Master of Public Administration from
California State University, San Bernardino, in 1993. Benoit's law enforcement career spanned 31 years including two years with the
Corona, California Police Department, and twenty-nine years with the
California Highway Patrol. Benoit served as a member of the
Desert Sands Unified School Board from 1999 to 2002. From 2002 to 2008 Benoit served as a
Republican Party representative in the
California State Assembly, and then served in the
California State Senate in 2009. Benoit resigned from the California Senate on November 30, 2009, to serve on the
Riverside County Board of Supervisors where he served from 2009 until his death in 2016. Benoit died at his home in
Bermuda Dunes, California, from
pancreatic cancer. ==References==