An Uber driver has been arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman and driving her to a business in another city.
Javier Delgado-Cordoba, 29, turned himself in to the Jefferson County Jail on Monday on a sexual assault warrant that stemmed from an incident reported in late January, Arvada Police officials said. He is being charged with three counts of sexual assault, a spokesperson for the First Judicial District said.
Police believe there could still be additional victims.
Delgado-Cordoba has been driving for Uber for a year and has completed more than a thousand rides, according to police.
"We recognize that these types of crimes are deeply personal and difficult to report,” said Arvada Chief of Police Ed Brady. “Our goal in sharing this information is to ensure that anyone who may have been affected knows they are not alone and that support and resources are available.”
Police say Delgado-Cordoba picked the woman and her boyfriend up from a Denver-area bar for an Uber ride to a residence in Arvada. Delgado-Cordoba is accused of getting into the back seat with the woman after the boyfriend got out of the car at the residence to unlock the door. As the boyfriend came back to the car, Delgado-Cordoba allegedly drove away with the woman still in the car and dropped her off at a business in Thornton, according an Arvada Police spokesperson.
She later sought medical care and a forensic exam, police said.
Detectives identified Delgado-Cordoba through information associated with his Uber profile, social media and DNA evidence, according to the release from Arvada PD.
Police are asking anyone else who believes they may be a victim of Delgado-Cordoba to contact the Arvada PD tip line at (720) 898-7171 and reference case AR26001904, or to contact their local law enforcement agency.
According to police, the ride was provided by a driver using the name “Javier” in a light colored 2023 Kia K5 sedan with the license plate 642RDGZ26, but Delgado-Cordoba may have also used other cars while working as a rideshare driver.
On Monday, a federal jury found Uber liable in the second of more than 3,000 pending sexual assault and misconduct lawsuits, the New York Times reported.
Last year, Gov. Jared Polis vetoed a bill that would have required regular background checks of rideshare drivers and would have banned drivers convicted of certain crimes from working for companies like Uber and Lyft, calling the regulations "unworkable," but directed his administration to work with sponsors of the bill to improve rideshare safety. The state's Public Utilities Commission is currently working on new rules aimed at cracking down on "imposter drivers."
Denver7 has requested additional information and will update this story if additional information becomes available.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that Arvada Police filed the warrant, and the DA's office filed the three charges.
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