Police: Woman sexually assaulted by man she thought was Uber driver
Bree Burkitt
A Phoenix man was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman who entered his car after mistaking it for her Uber vehicle, court records released Monday show.
Jose Samuel Ocheita, 37, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 25-year-old woman, records say.
A probable cause statement submitted by Tempe police in Maricopa County court documents said the woman requested an Uber around 2 a.m. Aug. 4 near Curry and Scottsdale roads in Tempe after a night of drinking.
Unbeknownst to her, the Uber ride she ordered was canceled, but the woman accepted a ride from an unidentified person, whom Tempe police later identified as Ocheita, because she thought it was the car she ordered, records state.
The records do not specify how, or why, the Uber was canceled.
The woman told police she passed out while the man was driving her home, the report said.
She later awakened in an unknown location to find him sexually assaulting her in the back seat. Ocheita then stopped before moving back to the front seat of the car.
She passed out a second time only to awaken to find him sexually assaulting her again, the statement said. She pleaded with Ocheita to stop and to take her home. He returned to the front seat and kept driving.
The woman began recording videos on her cellphone in which she could be heard crying and asking the driver to take her home, the report said. In one video, she told the driver she had not given him permission to have sex with her, according to the statement.
Police said Ocheita could be heard telling the victim he would take her home if she performed oral sex on him. She later agreed, court documents show.
He eventually dropped her off at her home, the report said. The woman went to the hospital and underwent a forensic examination.
The next day, the woman's roommate saw Ocheita drive up in his car and drop a handcrafted wooden rose and a card near the front door, records said.
"I took my time to buy this note and let you know that, no matter what happened, I promise to bring you home safe," court documents said the note read. "If you need a friend that will be there for you and always keep you safe call me."
The woman reported the license plate number to police, who were able to use the information to tie the vehicle to Ocheita.
During a police-monitored call with the victim, Ocheita said he felt sorry for her because she lived with another woman and he wanted her to stay safe, the report said. He refused to discuss the assault, saying that he wanted to talk to her in person about it. He hung up after she refused to speak to him in person.
Ocheita later admitted to assaulting the unconscious woman before claiming he never had sex with her, the court records detailed.
He maintained his innocence during an initial appearance in Maricopa County Superior Court Friday. He was being held Monday in a Maricopa County jail without bail.
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