The former Uber driver, now identified as 31-year-old Joshua Jamaal Robinson, has been arrested and charged with second-degree rape, third-degree sex offense, fourth-degree sex offense and two counts of second-degree assault, according to CBS Baltimore.
UPDATE: @uber driver charged with raping a 25 year old customer. She was assualted last wknd in Baltimore County. @BaltCoPolice arrest 31 year old Joshua Jamaal Robinson. pic.twitter.com/f5PehzUlyn
— Shelley Orman (@ShelleyOFox45)
After a family grew worried when their daughter didn’t come home around the time she was supposed to arrive, her father began tracking her.
Knowing she was meant to be in an Uber, on June 1, the father logged into an “unidentified app” in order to track his daughter’s whereabouts. According to CBS Baltimore, the app told the father that the alleged victim was on West Timonium Road.
Baltimore County Corporal Shawn Vinson told CBS Baltimore that when the father drove to his daughter’s location he found his daughter’s Uber driver pulled over on the side of the road.
When he went to inspect the car, the father found his daughter and the Uber driver in the backseat. Reports state the daughter was sexually assaulted.
As CBS Baltimore reports, the father then exchanged words with the Uber driver who proceeded to throw the “daughter’s pocketbook at him, got in the front seat and drove off.”
Vinson said the investigation into exactly why the Uber driver was in the backseat with a customer is still ongoing. It’s unclear if the authorities have been able to track down the driver and question him.
So far, no charges regarding the alleged assault have been filed.
Police say they believe the incident is isolated and that there are no other victims.
Statement from Uber on Baltimore County police investigation into alleged sexual assault in Mays Chapel area. A passenger says an Uber driver assaulted her Saturday. @wjz pic.twitter.com/xj5HcIKQv3
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ)
In a statement to CBS Baltimore, Uber said:
“What’s been reported is appalling beyond words. We removed the driver from the app as soon as this was reported to us. We will work with police on their investigation.’
In an attempt to protect patrons from assault or harm of any kind, Uber created a button that calls for emergency assistance at a single tap and you can also “share your trip details with loved ones.”
It’s unclear if any of the safety features on Uber’s app were used to help the dad find his daughter.
