BOSTON — Prosecutors say a man posing as a ride-share driver kidnapped a woman from a Boston nightclub last month, drove her to Rhode Island and then raped her.
Alvin Campbell Jr. was arraigned on kidnapping and rape charges Thursday in Boston and is being held on $250,000 bail. Suffolk County prosecutors allege that Campbell may be connected to additional sexual assaults.
Campbell allegedly picked up a woman who was waiting for an Uber outside The Harp nightclub on Causeway Street in Boston on Dec. 7 after a holiday party, according to court documents. Her Uber ride was canceled at the last minute, but Campbell allegedly posing as a ride-share driver, pulled up, identified her by name and convinced her to get inside the car, prosecutors said.
The ride should have been a quick 10 minutes to her home, but she was instead driven to Cumberland, Rhode Island, where she was sexually assaulted by a man who prosecutors allege was Campbell. The woman was dropped off at a Dunkin’ and then managed to get back to Boston to be checked at the hospital, prosecutors said.
Surveillance from the area outside the nightclub and in Rhode Island along with DNA evidence and other records were used to connect Campbell to the kidnapping and rape, prosecutors said.
“We’re really focused in the City of Boston on making sure that we have a system that works," Mayor Marty Walsh said when asked about safety in using ride-hailing services. "And that system needs to be able to have a thorough system that catches everyone so that no one can fall through the cracks.”
In December, the City of Boston rolled out a report to help police, night club owners and the licensing board work together to make sure passengers get home safe. The plan, in part, asked passengers to use the buddy system and check license plates, while encouraging businesses to install surveillance cameras.
“We have to do more work, because this is continuing to happen and people are going to go out and enjoy themselves, and women should be able to go out and enjoy themselves," Suffolk County District Attorney Rachel Rollins said. She called this most recent incident “heinous.”
Campbell is the brother of Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell. She said in a statement Thursday: “I am heartbroken, saddened and devastated by this news. I will continue to pray for the victim who had the courage to come forward and I want her to get all of the supports, services, and protections she is entitled to. I will also pray for my brother. I’m trusting that the judicial process will ensure that justice is served.”
Campbell was free on personal recognizance stemming from an alleged assault of two women outside a Boston nightclub in the spring at the time of his arrest.
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