SAN ANTONIO – Police arrested a 29-year-old Uber driver on Monday and charged him with sexually assaulting a drunk woman who lost consciousness during a ride.
Juan Ontiveros faces one count of sexual assault.
Court documents said a woman requested a ride home from a downtown bar on February 25 and that Ontiveros was the driver that picked her up.
Ontiveros told investigators the woman "appeared to be very intoxicated" and said she fell asleep during the ride. He said the woman was "not able to communicate with him coherently."
When Ontiveros got to the woman's destination, he said he woke the woman up and she got out looking "dazed and confused," then got back into the front passenger seat of his car and fell asleep.
Ontiveros told investigators he drove around the block a few times waiting for her to wake up, but drove the woman to his house in the 10900 block of Mustang Oak, approximately 30 miles across town when she didn't wake up.
He told police he kept the Uber portal open "in an attempt to increase her final cost" and that he did not have sex with the woman.
When they got to his house, he said she was able to walk on her own and he had her lay in his bed. He said the woman fell asleep, woke up, used the bathroom and asked if he could take her home and Ontiveros complied.
The victim reported the incident to police and said she was so drunk she didn't recall having sexual intercorse, but noted that she felt different.
Both Ontiveros and the victim submitted to a sexual assault nurse examination and authorities discovered that the victim's DNA was found on Ontiveros' penis.
Ontiveros maintained his innocence on Monday when he was taken to the Bexar County Jail, telling media, "She was drunk. I did my job. I took her home."
A spokesperson for the Bexar County Sheriff's Office said the victim "did all the right things"
"She asked for a ride (and) for whatever reason she felt that that was the best option for her," Sandra Pickell said. "She did all the right things. In this case it was the Uber driver that took advantage of the situation that she was in to sexually assault her."
Pickell said in other situations, she would advise people to call a family member or friend to alert them to what car they'll be in and an estimated time of arrival so someone is aware of their whereabouts.
"She trusted that she would be home safely," Pickell said. "She did everything she could. In this case, it was a predator that took advantage of the situation. Nothing she did wrong."
Pickell encouraged any other victims to come forward by calling 210-335-8477.
