Lyft driver charged with sexually abusing Centerville passenger

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CENTERVILLE — Following a long investigation, formal criminal charges were filed Wednesday against a Lyft driver accused of sexually abusing a passenger last year in Davis County.

Eduardo Arce-Aguilar, 37, is charged in 2nd District Court with two counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony. An arrest warrant was issued Wednesday for Arce-Aguilar, who is believed to have left Utah after the incident and was last known to be living in Bakersfield, California.

On Sept. 23, 2018, a woman ordered a Lyft to take her from a club in downtown Salt Lake City to her home in Centerville. “On the way to Davis County, the driver pulled his car over and directed the woman to get into the front seat. She complied and moved to the front seat,” according to charging documents.

The driver then grabbed the woman’s hand and placed it on his genitals over his clothing, the charges state.

The woman pulled her hand away and texted her boyfriend, requesting that he call her and pretend to be her father, according to a search warrant affidavit filed earlier this year.

“After exiting I-15 at Parrish Lane, the victim reported that the driver again grabbed her hand, this time more forcefully,” and forced her to squeeze his genitals, the warrant says.

“The victim then reported that the Lyft driver deliberately dropped her off two (or) three houses away from her residence and left quickly,” according to the affidavit.

The woman contacted police and showed investigators screenshots of her Lyft driver and the route they took. She also showed them texts she was sending her boyfriend as they were driving.

Charging documents state that an investigator from the State Bureau of Investigation “obtained records from Lyft confirming that the defendant was the driver of the car that picked up the woman and assaulted her.”

The driver was identified as a man who used to live in Lehi but moved to Los Angeles shortly after the alleged assault, according to police.

In September, another Utah woman joined 13 others from seven states to file a lawsuit against the ride-hailing company, claiming they were also sexually assaulted by their drivers.

The suit contends that Lyft does not conduct proper background checks on drivers and has failed to take the steps necessary to protect the safety of passengers. Between 2014 and 2016, Lyft received nearly 100 sexual assault complaints against drivers in California alone, according to the statement from the law firm representing the defendants.

Lyft says it is committed to safety and has dedicated more resources to ensure “riders and drivers have the safest possible experience.”