Costa Mesa Uber driver pleads not guilty to rape charge

An Uber driver from Costa Mesa pleaded not guilty Monday to a rape charge stemming from allegations that he sexually assaulted a female passenger who fell asleep in his vehicle.

The Orange County district attorney’s office last week charged Angel Sanchez, 36, with one count of rape of an intoxicated victim. If convicted, he could face up to eight years in state prison.

Authorities said the incident occurred March 30 when the woman’s friends helped her request a ride to her Santa Ana home from a company gathering in Newport Beach because she was intoxicated.

According to prosecutors, Sanchez picked up the woman in a 2016 Toyota Sienna. During the ride, the woman fell asleep, and when she woke up, she was being sexually assaulted in the back seat of the van on a street near her home, authorities said.

Officers worked with Uber to determine the driver’s identity, and two days later, police arrested Sanchez at his Costa Mesa home.

Sanchez is free on $100,000 bond. He is due back in Orange County Superior Court on May 26 for a pretrial hearing, according to court records.

An Uber representative said last month that Sanchez was removed from the company’s ride-hailing app as soon as Uber became aware of the allegation.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN

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