Ex-Uber Driver Accused of Burglarizing Customer Who Invited Her In After Ride: Cops

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — A former Uber driver and an accomplice are accused of burglarizing a a sleeping Arlington Heights customer she had just taken home last fall, the Arlington Heights Post reports.

The driver — Ethel D. Townsend, 25 — and a friend — Kevin C. Pitts, 26, both of Country Club Hills — were arrested and charged with residential burglary. They were released on electronic monitoring, and their next court date is Feb. 9.

According to Arlington Heights police, the victim — a 27-year-old Arlington Heights man — used the car ride service's app to contact Townsend at about 2 a.m. Sept. 4 in order to drive him home after a wedding in Rosemont, the Post reports. During the ride to the apartment in the 300 block of North Salem Avenue, police said the two became friends, and the victim invited Townsend inside, the report added.

Eventually, the victim fell asleep, and when he woke up in the morning, Townsend was gone, along with some of his personal items, such as his PlayStation and his iPad mini, the report stated. The victim used the Uber app again to contact Townsend, who denied stealing anything, the report added.

The victim called police, who identified Pitts on a security camera video showing him leaving the victim's apartment carrying things, the report stated. Police allege that Townsend called Pitts after the victim fell asleep to help her in the burglary, the report added.

Police arrested the two suspects when they arrived in court at Markham for an unrelated domestic battery case, according to the report.

More via the Arlington Heights Post

Ethel D. Townsend, 25, and Kevin C. Pitts, 26 (photos via Cook County Sheriff's Office)

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