Lyft driver charged with raping rider in June

A driver for a ride-hailing company Lyft has been charged with raping an intoxicated woman after picking her up in downtown St. Louis. Larry Donnell Ward, 53, of St. Peters, was charged Thursday with first-degree rape and kidnapping.

According to the probable cause statement, Ward, who no longer works for Lyft, sexually assaulted the woman in June after turning off his ride-sharing location software and deviating from the route to the woman’s requested destination. A rape kit was tested and the results matched Ward’s DNA, according to the statement. It wasn’t immediately clear why it took several months to file the charge.

Lyft described the allegations against the driver as ’’appalling″ in a statement. The company said it was cooperating with the investigation and has reached out to the rider to offer support. No attorney is listed for Ward in online court records. His bond is set at $100,000 cash, although he isn’t yet in custody.