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WEST VALLEY CITY — A driver for a ride-share service was charged Tuesday with preventing a woman from leaving his vehicle and trying to sexually abuse her.
Alexander Richardson, 24, of North Salt Lake, is charged in 3rd District Court with attempted forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony; and aggravated kidnapping in the course of committing unlawful detention, a third-degree felony.
On Aug. 17, a woman ordered an Uber to drive her home from a bar. She later told police "she was upset and crying in the back seat" during the ride.
Richardson "insisted on pulling over to comfort" the woman, even though she kept telling him "she just wanted to go home," according to charging documents.
Nevertheless, Richardson pulled over in a West Valley neighborhood and got into the back seat with the woman, where he hugged and tried to kiss and touch the woman, the charges allege. The woman allegedly told Richardson she had a weapon in order to get him to leave her alone.
When they arrived at the woman's home, "Richardson held onto (the woman's) purse and would not allow her out of the car, unless she gave him her phone number," according to the charges.
The charges come a day after a Lyft driver was charged with forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony, in a separate case and accused of abusing a woman who needed a ride home from a concert.
