Uber driver arrested in Florida, accused of fondling female passenger

By Barbara Liston ORLANDO Fla. (Reuters) - A Florida driver for the online for-hire car service Uber faces battery charges after a female passenger said he fondled her, according to a police report released on Thursday. Ramy Botros, 28, admitted to police that he touched the woman, saying she asked for attention by wearing provocative clothing, according to the arrest report from Orlando police. Uber is one of several ride-sharing services gaining popularity in many cities, despite opposition from taxi companies that typically operate under stricter regulations. The female passenger recorded the Friday incident on her cell phone, according to the arrest affidavit. She told detectives that Botros remarked that she was attractive, then stopped his car and reached his hand into her tank top, touching her breast, the affidavit said. "She was afraid of upsetting the taxi driver, and tried to play off his actions as harmless, but was afraid of him," the police report noted. After stopping at her destination, where her boyfriend was waiting, the woman asked Botros for his business card, which he gave her, the affidavit said. Botros, who was released from jail on Thursday after posting $500 bond, did not immediately return a call for comment. Uber did not respond to an email message from Reuters, but Uber spokesman Taylor Bennett was quoted by the Orlando Sentinel as saying the company had suspended the Botros account and would cooperate in the investigation. (Editing by Letitia Stein and Sandra Maler)