Ex-Lyft driver indicted on rape charge

Jerome Antonio Booze (Credit: Channel 2 Action News)

Jerome Antonio Booze (Credit: Channel 2 Action News)

More than a month after his arrest, a former Lyft driver was indicted on a felony rape charge Tuesday.

Jerome Antonio Booze, 39, of Decatur, was charged Jan. 23 on allegations he sexually assaulted a woman while taking her back to her apartment. The alleged assault happened Dec. 10.

Police have not said why it took more than a month to arrest Booze.

Booze picked up a Smyrna woman from the Anchor Bar in northeast Atlanta after she requested a Lyft driver to take her home, Channel 2 Action News reported.

Police say he instead drove her to a parking lot and sexually assaulted her. The victim was in no condition to consent, Channel 2 reported.

A Lyft spokesman sent the news station a statement saying the company was devastated and banned Booze from using the Lyft app. The company has also been assisting Cobb County police in their investigation.

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