Update Tuesday, Jan. 23
Thirty-nine-year-old Uber driver Alfonso Alarcon-Nunez was accused of sexual assault and burglary. It was confirmed that three of these victims were Cal Poly students and one was a Cuesta college student, ages ranging 19 to 22. He was charged with 10 criminal charges, but pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Monday.
Misusing Uber, Alarcon-Nunez used the name “Bruno Diaz” and had his passengers Venmo him at an account called “Brush Brat.”
San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow said investigators are searching for other victims of Alarcon-Nunez.
When he was initially booked in the San Luis Obispo County Jail, his bail was set at $200,000. This has raised to $1.47 million. Alarcon-Nunez’s preliminary hearing will take place on Monday, Jan. 29.
It was also found that Alarcon-Nunez was allegedly living in the U.S., however Dow said that this will not affect his prosecution.
Original Story
Santa Maria Uber driver Alfonso Alarcon-Nunez was arrested and booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail on charges of sexual assault and burglary Wednesday.
Alarcon-Nunez faces charges of rape of an unconscious victim, rape of an intoxicated victim, oral copulation of an intoxicated victim and residential burglary. The San Luis Obispo Police Department (SLOPD) served a search warrant at Alarcon-Nunez’s home on the 2300 block of Cesar Chavez Drive in Santa Maria where he was arrested by SLOPD detectives. Thirty-nine-year-old Alarcon-Nunez’s bail has been set at $200,000.
The suspect was identified in two separate assault cases Dec. 18, 2017 and Jan. 14. SLOPD Captain Chris Staley said they are unsure if these victims were students at Cal Poly.
Throughout the investigation, detectives learned Alarcon-Nunez was targeting his Uber passengers — specifically those who were intoxicated women — by escorting them to their residences where he would allegedly proceed to sexually assault and rob them. It is believed he stole items including cell phones, computers and jewelry from these victims. Detectives claimed Alarcon-Nunez would find parties in San Luis Obispo to get more rides. It was also found that he used Venmo to charge these Uber riders to hide himself from Uber records.
“Our understanding was that he was an official Uber driver, but for both the victims in this case here, he wasn’t acting in that capacity. He was not utilizing the Uber application as to be a driver, but he was simply approaching people and identifying himself as ‘Hey, I’m your Uber driver,’ and then getting them into the vehicle that way,” Staley said.
SLOPD advises people to make sure to confirm the identity of their driver and the license plate of the vehicle they are getting into.
“There’s a couple things that are supposed to occur. They are supposed to know the address you’re going to and you’re supposed to be able to see the vehicle license and you should have their name. So make sure you have those three pieces of information before you ever get into a vehicle just to ensure that you are getting into the Uber that they requested,” Staley said.