ST. LOUIS, MO (October 2, 2023) — Former Lyft driver Larry Donnell Ward, 57, pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree kidnapping and first-degree rape of a young woman who had called for a ride home from a bachelorette party at a downtown bar on the evening of June 22, 2019.

A sexual assault examination at a hospital the next day confirmed that she had been raped. Police investigators used data from her cell phone that showed the time and place she had been picked up, how long the $9.02 ride lasted, and an image of Ward on her receipt. The trip was less than

five miles but took 50 minutes.

“This case is a modern urban nightmare,” said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. “Our Victim Services Unit has worked closely with the victim to ensure that she received the appropriate legal and psychological support in the aftermath of her trauma. I am grateful to our prosecution team, including Jeremy Crowley and Nicholas Fischbach, for pursuing justice for the victim of this violent crime.”

Ward will be sentenced Tuesday, October 3, at 9 a.m. in Division 9 of the 22^nd Judicial Circuit.

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