VENTURA, Calif. — An Uber driver who picked up an intoxicated woman outside a Thousand Oaks bar and drove her around Camarillo after she fell asleep has pleaded guilty to kidnapping her to commit rape, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office announced.
Read the Ventura County District Attorney's Office release: https://da.venturacounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/Uber-Driver-Pleads-Guilty-to-Kidnapping-to-Commit-Rape-of-Unconscious-Passenger.pdf
District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced the plea on November 10, 2026, in Release No. 26-168.
Simranjit Singh Sekhon, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty on November 6, 2026.
He also admitted an aggravating factor: that he took advantage of a position of trust.
A Ride Home, A Sleeping Passenger, A Different Route
Sekhon picked up the victim outside a Thousand Oaks bar at about 1:00 a.m. on November 27, 2025, according to the release.
She had hired the ride to take her home to Camarillo, prosecutors said.
The victim, who was intoxicated, fell asleep during the ride, according to the release.
After the trip should have ended, Sekhon kept driving the unconscious victim around Camarillo and sexually assaulted her, prosecutors said.
The Investigation, The Arrest, The Prosecution
The Ventura County Sheriff's Office investigated the case, according to the release.
Deputies arrested Sekhon in Los Angeles County on December 15, 2025.
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Senior Deputy District Attorney Twyla Atmore, of the District Attorney's Sexual Assault Unit, is prosecuting the case, prosecutors said.
"The victim made a responsible decision and placed her trust in the defendant to return her safely to her home," Ms. Atmore said. "The defendant exploited the victim's vulnerable condition by sexually assaulting her."
The Charge, The Exposure, The Sentencing Date
Charge pleaded to: PC 209(b)(1), kidnapping to commit rape.
Special allegation admitted: CRC 4.421(a)(11), taking advantage of a position of trust.
Sekhon is scheduled to be sentenced on December 9, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court, prosecutors said.
He remains out of custody pending sentencing, according to the release.
He faces seven years to life in state prison.
Case No. 2025031576.
Anyone with information about a crime in Ventura County can contact Ventura County Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
Sources
Ventura County District Attorney's Office, "Uber Driver Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping to Commit Rape of Unconscious Passenger," Release No. 26-168, November 10, 2026: https://da.venturacounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/Uber-Driver-Pleads-Guilty-to-Kidnapping-to-Commit-Rape-of-Unconscious-Passenger.pdf