Police say GPS records and video support the passenger’s account of an assault after a party in Richmond.
RICHMOND, Ky. — A 61-year-old Uber driver has been charged with first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy after police say a passenger lost consciousness during a late-summer ride from a party and was sexually assaulted in a secluded parking area in Richmond.
Authorities identified the driver as Clifford Partin. The case surfaced publicly this week after investigators filed a criminal complaint outlining the allegations and the steps police say they took to corroborate the passenger’s account. The incident was reported to have occurred in August, after the woman requested a ride home because she had been drinking. Detectives say location data from the ride-hailing trip and surveillance footage from a nearby lot matched the timeline the passenger described. Partin was booked into the Madison County Detention Center and assigned a $100,000 bond while the case moves forward.
According to the complaint, the woman called for an Uber after leaving a gathering on High Street in Richmond. Early in the trip she lost consciousness. Investigators say the driver left normal routing, pulled into a lot screened by bushes and parked for an extended period. The woman later woke up in the vehicle in a different location and told police she demanded to be driven back toward her neighborhood. Fearing the driver would know where she lived, she asked to be dropped off nearby, then ran the rest of the way. She sought medical attention and reported the assault, beginning the investigation that led to this week’s arrest, police said.
Detectives wrote that Uber’s GPS trip history placed the vehicle at the lot for roughly 25 minutes, consistent with the account given by the passenger. Nearby surveillance cameras captured the car entering and remaining in the area before leaving. Investigators also noted that during a subsequent interview and polygraph session, the driver allegedly admitted to sexual intercourse while the passenger was incapable of consent. Polygraph results are generally not admissible in court, but police included the alleged admission in their affidavit. The woman’s name is not being released because police consider her a victim of a sexual offense.
Records show Partin faces one count of first-degree rape and one count of first-degree sodomy. Under Kentucky law, those offenses cover sexual acts with a person who is physically unable to consent, including because of intoxication or unconsciousness. The reported assault occurred in August; the complaint and arrest were recorded this week. Officials did not provide a specific date for the alleged attack. Madison County authorities said the investigation remains open as they review additional digital records and forensic reports. It was not immediately clear whether the driver had retained counsel. Uber did not immediately provide a statement; the company’s policies generally prohibit using its platform while impaired and ban sexual contact between drivers and riders.
Richmond police said the trip began after a party on High Street, a corridor of residences just west of downtown and near Eastern Kentucky University. Investigators traced the vehicle to a parking area set back from the street and partially concealed by landscaping. Officers canvassed the location for cameras, and one business supplied video showing a car consistent with the driver’s vehicle arriving and staying for a short period during the overnight hours. The woman described waking in the vehicle and experiencing pain; she then asked to be taken close to home but not to her exact address, according to the complaint. She ran the remaining distance and later underwent an exam at a local hospital, police said.
Neighbors in the area told officers they noticed a car idling in the lot on a warm night late in the summer, but they did not call police because nothing appeared obviously criminal, according to a report summary. A student who lives off High Street said people routinely order rides after parties when they do not feel safe to drive. “You trust that the driver is there to get you home,” the student said. A Richmond mother who uses ride-hailing to reach late-night shifts said the allegations were unsettling but welcomed the detailed timeline authorities outlined. “If they can trace where a car goes, that helps,” she said.
Partin remained held on $100,000 bond at the Madison County Detention Center as of Monday. Prosecutors are expected to present the case to a grand jury in the coming weeks. Police said they will release additional information if new records are filed. A first court appearance is anticipated later this month, though a specific date was not available.
Author note: Last updated December 8, 2025.