From the Daily News Journal

MURFREESBORO — The Uber driver indicted in the rape of a client had a criminal history, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, but it’s not one that Uber would have known about. According to a spokesman for the rider program, Tennessee state law requires a search extending seven years into the job applicant’s history and the suspect’s previous charges occurred more than seven years ago.

“Our thoughts are with the victim of this deplorable crime as she recovers from this awful ordeal,” said Bill Gibbons, spokesman for the company. “Immediately upon learning of these allegations, this driver was permanently removed from the Uber platform. We have been working directly with local law enforcement to provide assistance with their investigation.”

According to the arrest report provided Monday,  Emmett Nelson Lyons Jr., 42, of Longhunter Lane in Antioch, was the Uber driver who picked the client up at a Halloween party after she became intoxicated.

Murfreesboro Detective Tommy Roberts said the client was a 22-year-old woman whose friend arranged for an Uber driver to take her home. The friend told Roberts that she was tracking her ride home and noticed the car going off course.

“The friend became concerned and went to the victim’s house,” Roberts said. Once there, she found the woman injured and frightened. She took her to the emergency room and Roberts contacted Lyons. The March grand jury indicted Lyons on two counts of aggravated rape and two counts of rape. He was arrested Friday, and his bond was set at $100,000.

Uber provides a safety sheet for those participating in its program and stresses safety first, Gibbons said. He provided a safety checklist for riders and drivers.

“We have a dedicated Incident Response Team to answer any urgent issues,” the release states. “If we receive a report that there has been an accident or incident, we can suspend the relevant parties and prevent them from accessing the platform until the matter is resolved.”

One benefit Uber offers helped the woman in this case. The company provides GPS locator services, “so we know which driver-partners and riders are riding together and where they are for the duration of their trip,” the safety sheet said.

The woman’s friend used this feature to see when the driver left the projected route, the police report stated.

Driver-partners must provide their licensing and vehicle documentation before being able to drive on the Uber platform.

A records check provided to The Daily News Journal by the TBI showed that the suspect has an extensive criminal history, including arrests and convictions for domestic assault, aggravated assault, possession of controlled substances, forgery and theft, but those charges were eight or more years ago.

Uber said it would not accept any drivers who had, within the past seven years, “any felony, any driving-related offenses, violent crimes, sexual offenses, or child abuse or endangerment.”

Nelson’s last arrest before this one was a violation of probation charge in 2013.

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