A South Florida Uber driver found himself under arrest after, police say, he made sexually suggestive comments and inappropriately touched a 15-year-old girl. She requested the ride using the Uber Teens app.
Judge Mindy S. Glazer stated, “You were arrested for lewd and lascivious conduct on a child.”
Jose Miguel Perez-Molina appeared before Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy S. Glazer late Wednesday morning. The 39-year-old faces charges for lewd and lascivious conduct on a child younger than 16, according to an arrest report from Sunny Isles Beach Police.
Investigators say the teen requested an Uber on Sunday afternoon to travel from a salon in Aventura to a friend’s home in Sunny Isles Beach. A driver identified as “Jose,” matching Perez-Molina and his Toyota Corolla, picked her up, the report states.
During the ride, Perez-Molina repeatedly asked the victim if she had a boyfriend, called her “pretty,” and questioned her age, the report says. When she told him she was 15, he replied that it was “a problem” because he was 39, the report said.
Police say Perez-Molina stopped in a plaza on Collins Avenue while the teen tried to find the correct address.
While parked, he allegedly turned around, touched her knee, caressed her face, and touched a scab on her arm, telling her he could “take care of” her. The teen told detectives she did not want the touching.
Perez-Molina also suggested they park somewhere so he could “teach [her] how to kiss,” the report states. The girl said she repeatedly told him she was only 15 and declined.
Fearing the situation might escalate, the victim recorded part of the interaction on her phone. Police say the audio captured Perez-Molina making comments about kissing her and waiting for her despite her age.
The teen ran from the vehicle in tears once she reached her destination, the report says. She immediately told a friend and her parents, who then contacted police.
Sunny Isles Beach Police officers later showed the victim a photo lineup, and she identified the suspect “without hesitation,” according to the report.
License plate reader hits also confirmed Perez-Molina’s vehicle was in the area at the time of the incident.
Uber released a statement which reads in part:
“What this rider experienced is deeply disturbing… We take reports like this very seriously. We removed the driver’s access to the app as soon as this was reported…”
Police arrested Perez-Molina and transported him to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in West Miami-Dade.
In court Wednesday, Glazer issued a stay-away order to the suspect and ordered him to refrain from contacting the victim.
Perez-Molina received a $7,500 bond and has an immigration hold.
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