The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
When the authorities came across a New Jersey man working as a Lyft driver, they allegedly found that he did not possess a valid driver’s license and that his DMV record displayed more than a few suspensions of his privilege to operate a motor vehicle.
On Saturday night, 57-year-old Leith Crossen was accused of using his Volkswagen Jetta to pick up and transport passengers for the Lyft ride service when he was not legally permitted to do so.
Crossen allegedly took a passenger to their destination on Long Island, and after departing the location his car ran out of gas.
Someone saw Crossen’s vehicle pulled to the side of the road and got the impression that he might have been drunk, so they called 911 to report the situation.
When the Suffolk County Police located Crossen, they found that he was not driving under the influence, but that he had run out of fuel and pulled over.
Upon checking Crossen’s driver’s license, it was reportedly discovered that he was not authorized to operate a vehicle at the time due to having his driver’s license suspended. In addition to the currently reported restriction in place, the police found that Crossen allegedly previously had his license suspended a total of 17 times, which did not appear to hinder his ability to procure a job with a ride service company.
Crossen was taken into custody and charged with felony first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
When they issued a statement in response to the incident, Lyft disclosed that the background check of the information that Crossen, who is now permanently banned from working for the company, provided to them in March did not uncover anything that would preclude his employment with them. They also stated that he has not been working for the company since April, and they do not hold the belief that Crossen was dropping off a passenger as it was claimed.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a driving offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.