Uber driver found guilty of sexually assaulting rider

By Ethan Andrews, Bangor Daily News Staff

BANGOR — A man accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2022 while he was working as an Uber driver was found guilty on March 27.

Joseph Graston, 28, of Milo, was found guilty by a judge of Class C unlawful sexual contact and Class D unlawful sexual touching, according to the Penobscot County District Attorney’s Office. 

Justice Bruce Mallonee presided over the bench trial. Graston’s sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

The victim was “celebrating a life event” at a Bangor nightclub in early June of 2022 and had become intoxicated, police said at the time. 

She took an Uber home, and the next morning contacted Bangor police to report that she believed that she had been sexually assaulted.

Chelsea Lynds, deputy district attorney, who prosecuted the case told the Bangor Daily News, “It was the right verdict and people should know that taking advantage of someone in a vulnerable position has consequences.”

The case was the first instance in the region of a trend that the ride-hailing giant has faced and been sued over in recent years.