Man who sexually assaulted ride-booking service driver in Desert Hot Springs sentenced to prison
A 21-year-old man who entered guilty pleas after sexually assaulting a ride-hailing service driver at the conclusion of the ride while out on bail for a similar assault was sentenced to three years and six months in prison today.
Luis Enrique Lora of Desert Hot Springs pleaded guilty to three sexual battery-related felony counts and admitted one sentence-enhancing allegation of committing the crime while out on bail on Sept. 26 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, according to case records. Judge Melissa Hale sentenced the defendant Friday morning.
Thalia Hayden of the Riverside County District Attorney's office confirmed the terms of the sentence to City News Service.
Officers responded Aug. 18, 2023, to a ride-hailing service driver's report of a sexual battery that was committed by a customer, according to the Desert Hot Springs Police Department. The driver said they were assaulted by the customer at the end of the ride, and the suspect then fled from the vehicle on foot.
Detectives assumed the investigation and identified Lora as the suspect before arresting him 10 days later.
He was booked into county jail on $500,000 bail but subsequently released on personal recognizance, according to court records. He was charged with one felony count each of sexual battery and false imprisonment, according to court records, and pleaded not guilty to those charges shortly after.
Around 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 27, 2023, officers responded to a similar report from a ride-booking service driver and "based on the circumstances of the most recent assault, officers suspected the same suspect was responsible," police wrote in a statement.
Lora was identified as the suspect the following day, arrested in the 13500 block of Don English Way in Desert Hot Springs and booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio, according to police.
