MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee resident was charged with second-degree sexual assault after allegedly picking up a woman in a Lyft cab and sexually assaulting her in a motel last December.
Forty-three-year-old Omar B. Jamal was charged with second-degree sexual assault-intoxicated victim, a felony. If found guilty, he could spend up to 40 years behind bars and face $100,000 in fines. The defendant claims the intercourse was consensual.
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According to a criminal complaint released Tuesday, the woman told investigators she visited a bar in the City of Milwaukee for drinks with friends on Dec. 18, 2020. There, she had several alcoholic drinks.
She then got a ride from a friend to another Milwaukee bar, where she had several more drinks. The complaint states she felt "steadily drunk" throughout this time, and that she did not consume alcohol often before that.
The woman then left that bar and headed to a third tavern to see a friend. But she never entered, as she felt intoxicated and decided to take an Uber home.
A sedan soon arrived with Uber and Lyft stickers on it. She asked to be taken home but was unsure where the driver was taking her. While driving, the driver began touching her without consent, according to the complaint.
They arrived at the motel, and the defendant booked a room.
Her next memory was of laying naked in the room, investigators say. The woman told detectives that the suspect had sexual intercourse in the room. She never gave him permission, the complaint states.
The next morning, the suspect gathered the victim's belongings and drove her to her home near the UW-Milwaukee campus.
Detectives could not confirm that the suspect drove for Uber or Lyft via records.
The woman identified the suspect based on surveillance video and the vehicle's description, according to the complaint.
During an interview, the suspect said he was the driver who picked the woman up and that he had sexual intercourse with her that day, the complaint states. Authorities say he speaks Burmese and not fluent English. The interview required an interpreter.
He also said he was using the Lyft app but not driving a Lyft-approved vehicle. He said the woman didn't say anything when she entered his car, detectives say.
The defendant also claimed she wanted to go to the Plaza motel. He claimed the intercourse was consensual, according to investigators.
Surveillance video shows the defendant's vehicle following the victim for a period of time at a low rate of speed, investigators say. When she stopped, the vehicle accelerated and stopped next to her, the complaint states.
Omar Jamal attends his initial appearance in Milwaukee County Court on Wednesday.
