A Chicago driver accused of sexually assaulting an Uber passenger in November is free after prosecutors dropped charges against him.
Cook County prosecutors say a recording made by Maxime Fohounhedo at time of the alleged November incident proved sex between the 30-year-old driver and the 22-year-old female passenger was consensual.
Shortly after walking out of Cook County Jail on Monday evening Fohounhedo said he feels "blessed."
"The case was charged in good faith based upon the accounting provided by the complaining witness as well as physical evidence. After the charges were approved, new evidence was brought to the attention of the State’s Attorney’s Office," the Cook County State's Attorney's office said in a statement. "This new evidence was thoroughly reviewed and authenticated and after consultation with the complaining witness the charges were dismissed today."
Prosecutors haven't said if the woman will face charges.
Fohounhedo was accused of assaulting a 22-year-old female passenger on Nov. 16 in the 2600 block of West Lawrence.
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The woman told police she remembered being picked up by her Uber driver at a bar in River North around 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 16. The next thing she knew she said she was inside an unfamiliar apartment and her driver was on top of her.
Prosecutors alleged at the time he gave the woman a ride home after the incident and told her "I made you happy" as he was putting her back into the car.
Fohounhedo was later removed from the Uber platform after company officials discovered he wasn't authorized to be picking up passengers. The San Francisco-based company said he was driving on an account in his wife's name.
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