While an Uber driver was shuttling two passengers in Georgia last Sunday, he was arrested for attempted rape, sexual battery, and aggravated burglary. Looks like Uber did a real good job in vetting the man before taking him on as a driver.
According to Gizmodo:
It’s unclear how [Kevin] Jerome was able to drive for Uber. The platform claims to perform a background check on all its drivers, and notes on its website that “convictions for felonies, violent crimes, sexual offenses, and registered sex offender status, among other types of criminal records,” disqualify individuals from becoming a driver. An Uber spokesperson told Gizmodo that the company is investigating the incident.
Uber announced a new policy in April to re-run background checks for drivers on an annual basis. Prior to that change, it may have been possible for a driver whose record was clean when signing up for the platform to have been charged with a disqualifying crime without Uber’s knowledge and remain a driver. In Jerome’s case, his charges appear to have been issued in 2016, though it’s unclear when he applied to join Uber.
Image: Mark Warner/Flickr
