An Uber driver arrested for a DUI in Orange County

Using Uber instead of driving drunk is one of the best ways to avoid a DUI in Los Angeles. Uber company says that hiring Uber people avoid getting DUIs.  Recent research confirms that ride-sharing helps avoid DUI in Los Angeles.  And yet, some Uber drivers are arrested for drug and alcohol-related crimes.  In fact, Los Angeles DUI Attorney represented several Uber drivers who were accused of DUI.   News confirms that Uber drivers get prosecuted for DUI like everyone else. 

Recently, in Orange County, California the police arrested  Ramon Iribe, an Uber driver for possessing a concealed weapon, methamphetamines, and Xanax without a prescription.  Thankfully, after the arrest, Uber banned Mr. Iribe from continuing to work for them. At the time of arrest, Mr. Iribe worked for Uber for less than four months.

Mr. Iribe was arrested around 2:30 a.m. after his car was pulled over with three female passengers.  According to the Costa Meca Police Department, the officer who stopped Iribe’s Nissan Altima in the 400 block of Fair Drive found a warrant for the driver’s arrest. Before the release, three female passengers managed to inform the company about the arrest using the feedback option. This function can be used within two weeks after calling for an Uber driver. The feedback option in the Uber app is now a main source of data about drivers’ performance, including notifying Uber of any illegal activity by the driver, such as being arrested.

After his arrest,  Ramon Iribe, 23, of Corona was banned from working for Uber. Tracey Breeden, a spokeswoman for the company, said that there’s zero tolerance for alcohol and drugs in the ride-sharing networks. Uber is investigating if, in fact, Iribe was guilty. This is so because an arrest is not a conviction and many persons who are arrested are innocent and can petition the court to seal their record.  Los Angeles DUI Attorney and Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney will help you do that.  While the driver’s account is on suspension, Uber carries out its own internal investigation. Uber has a department that works with the police to investigate cases against the company’s drivers.

To avoid having drivers with bad records, such as DUI, Uber checks driver’s records during the application process and continues to check their employees regularly to make sure they have no new arrests or problems with their driver’s licenses, such as excessive tickets or suspensions of their driver’s license.  The interviewing process involves going driver’s driving record, any crime commitments in the last few years, and any records in the sex offenders registry, known as Megan’s law website.  According to Breeden, Iribe’s criminal record was clean, both times, when he applied for the job and during the regular recheck in April. However, his previous police records show that Uber missed the warrant or did not check Iribe’s criminal record often enough. 

Here’s a short timeline of Mr. Iribe’s record when he applied for to work as Uber driver:

• In January, he was accused of causing corporal injuries to his wife and was listed as a fugitive, according to the Orange County Superior Court data. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor on that charge.

• Mr. Iribe divorced his wife after a five-year marriage.

• In September, Mr. Iribe was charged with four counts of misdemeanor battery and a misdemeanor charge of child abuse.

Maria Iribe, Ramon’s mother, posted $25,000 bail on Monday for Mr. Iribe.  Mr. Iribe was arraigned in court on Sept. 12 and maintains that the drugs in his car were not his. According to him, the passengers he picked up were intoxicated and one of them dropped methamphetamine in the vehicle. 

Iribe’s not sure if he would be able to work for Uber in the future.   «I’m not a felon», he said. Though his occupation at Uber is on hold, he still uses the app. Meanwhile, he financially supports himself through another job working in a warehouse in Corona.