Republican state senator accused of sexually assaulting female Uber driver

Oklahoma state Sen. Bryce Marlatt has been named as a suspect in a sexual assault case against a female Uber driver in Oklahoma City, according to KFOR.

The Republican senator is accused of grabbing the woman while she was driving and forcibly kissing her. She reported the incident two days after it occurred, telling a police officer that it happened while she was driving a man to a hotel. Upon arriving at the hotel, he then had her drive to a bar.

According to a redacted police report, the victim “was able to obtain basic information” for the alleged suspect and found a photo of him online.

Marlatt’s attorney told KFOR that the senator was “shocked and surprised” that he was being accused of assault. He said he wants to work with Uber to “get to the bottom” of the accusations.

The victim told police she wants to press charges, but Uber would not release the man’s information directly to her. They would release it to police.

In a statement to BuzzFeed, Uber said the conduct “is not tolerated and has no place on the Uber app.”

“We are working with the Oklahoma City Police Department and will provide any information to them that would be helpful for their ongoing investigation,” Uber said.

This isn’t the first report of Uber drivers being assaulted by passengers, and there have also been reports of drivers assaulting passengers. Uber says it prioritizes both driver and passenger safety, and says it provides law enforcement with “useful data” in cases where there is a valid legal process. Critics of the ride-sharing service say the company’s security processes and background checks are not thorough enough.

This story was originally published July 6, 2017 at 6:57 PM with the headline "Republican state senator accused of sexually assaulting female Uber driver."