HOUSTON — A Houston Uber driver raped a 15-year-old passenger that he picked up last week, according to police.
Leonel Medina Sentmanat, 49, is charged with sexual assault of a child.
Police say he confessed to the crime after the girl’s mother called police to report the assault.
The victim ordered an Uber on May 12 for a ride to the Dollar Store. Instead, she said Sentmanat took her to a dead end street and ordered her to cancel the ride on the app. She said he parked, got in the back seat and wouldn’t let her out of the vehicle.
The victim told investigators that Senmanat held her down and raped her, then forced her to perform oral sex.
An examination at Texas Children’s Hospital the following day showed injuries to the girl’s hymen backed up her account of what happened.
Police say they were able to identify Sentmanat through Uber records so they brought him in for an interview and he confirmed the victim’s story.
The following day, the girl identified Sentmanat in a photo lineup.
It’s not clear if he has been arrested.
“The horrific details being reported are something no one should ever have to experience. We immediately banned the driver and stand ready to work with law enforcement on their investigation," Uber said in a statement.
Uber says all drivers go through background checks and are rescreened annually.
They says there's an emergency button on the app that riders and drivers can use to text or call 911. If the user texts to 911 through the app, a message is autogenerated to include car information, location, and direction of travel that is sent to 911 dispatchers. If someone calls through the app, that information populates on the callers screen to give to 911 dispatchers.
