An Uber driver in Athens, Georgia has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a woman and burglarizing her home after dropping her off earlier in the night.
The Athens Banner-Herald reports that John M. Kamens, 49, drove the 28-year-old woman home on December 14. Police believe he returned between 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 15 and 1 a.m. Dec. 16 to sexually assault the woman and rob her house.
The victim immediately reported the incident, but there was clearly some delay in identifying Kamens as a suspect; he was just arrested on Wednesday afternoon, according to court records. He has been charged with aggravated sodomy with force and first-degree burglary and is currently being held without bail. He’s not a registered sex offender and has no other pending criminal charges; a person with his name is listed as having worked in “Solid Waste Billing Services” for Clarke County, where Athens is located.
A female Uber driver in Seattle said publicly earlier this week that an intoxicated passenger sexually assaulted her, and said the company needs to do more to protect its drivers, especially women. In October, two female riders sued Uber in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. Both women say they were sexually assaulted by their drivers, and accuse the company of negligence and fraud.
Contact the author at anna.merlan@jezebel.com.
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Kamens’ booking photo. Image via Athens-Clarke County Sheriff’s Office/Online Athens