Pennsylvania Uber driver accused of sexually assaulting rider he drove earlier

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

A local Uber driver is accused of sexually assaulting a passenger he picked up from the North Shore on Feb. 8.

An arrest warrant has been issued for the driver, Kelli Rini, charging him with aggravated indecent assault.

The victim told police she was highly intoxicated when she ordered an Uber to drive her and a friend from Pittsburgh to an apartment in Robinson. Halfway there, she said Rini told her friend to get out and continued to drive her to Robinson.

According to a police criminal complaint, the victim said she realized she left her apartment keys in her car on the North Shore once they arrived at her place. Rini then told her he would drive her back on his own time, which he did.

Investigators said the sexual assault happened when the woman returned to her apartment and awoke to Rini "indecently assaulting her while she slept."

She told police “it took her a few seconds to realize what was happening, and she told (him) to stop, which he did.” She was so scared that she “curled up into the fetal position.”

Robinson police also said Rini texted the woman hours later to tell her he had her apartment keys and was “sorry he assaulted her in her sleep.”

Uber officials told Channel 11 they are investigating the incident, and that rider and driver safety is a top priority.

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