EL CAJON, Calif. - A former Uber driver accused of raping a passenger and sexually assaulting eight other victims over the past several years was ordered Thursday to stand trial on more than two dozen felony charges.
John David Sanchez, 52, was initially arrested about a month after the alleged rape of one of his Uber passengers last Feb. 26.
The defendant posted bail and was fired by Uber. Investigators subsequently found a number of other women who had allegedly been assaulted in 2007, 2011 and 2013 but had not reported the attacks.
Most of the alleged victims who came forward were said to be unconscious from drugs or alcohol when the attacks occurred, according to El Cajon police.
Sanchez is also accused of committing sex acts on a 13-year-old girl and involving her in a sex act on a disabled woman at a medical facility in 2013, police said.
After a preliminary hearing in which six alleged victims testified, Judge John Thompson ruled that enough evidence was presented for Sanchez to stand trial on 31 charges, including rape and sodomy of an unconscious person.
Sanchez faces 52 years in state prison if convicted. He will be back in court Sept. 8 for arraignment.
