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Boston Uber Driver Accused Of Raping Customer

Smartphones display  Uber car availability in New York in this November file photo. (Julio Cortez/AP)
Smartphones display Uber car availability in New York in this November file photo. (Julio Cortez/AP)

A local Uber driver is accused of sexually assaulting a woman who had summoned the ride-for-hire service.

Authorities say 46-year-old Alejandro Done was arraigned Wednesday in Cambridge District Court. The Boston man pleaded not guilty to charges including rape and kidnapping.

Done was held without bail.

Investigators say Done picked up the woman on Tremont Street in Boston on Dec. 6. She had summoned an Uber car around 7:30 p.m. to take her to her Cambridge home after a night out with friends.

Uber customers use a smartphone app to arrange and pay for rides with nearby drivers.

The driver allegedly told the woman that he would need a cash payment, so he took her to an ATM. Authorities say he then drove her to a secluded location and sexually assaulted her.

“This alleged predator took advantage of a young woman who trusted that he was who he portrayed himself to be and exploited her vulnerability once he had her in his car,” Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a statement.

"This is a despicable crime and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim during her recovery,"  Uber spokeswoman Kaitlin Durkosh said in a statement. "Uber has been working closely with law enforcement and will continue to do everything we can to assist their investigation."

On Monday, Boston police said they were investigating three separate allegations of indecent assaults on women using ride-for-hire services.

On Tuesday, a police spokesman told WBUR the women "had called for Uber to come and pick them up from their locations."

An Uber spokesperson said "the facts indicate that these three instances involve illegal street hails, and we applaud these women for shedding light on this issue in Boston.”

With reporting by The Associated Press and the WBUR Newsroom

This article was originally published on December 18, 2014.

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