MAN PLEADS GUILTY AFTER KIDNAPPING AND RAPING UBER DRIVER
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The Ooltewah man charged with the raping and kidnapping of his Uber driver pleaded guilty in Hamilton County Criminal Court Monday morning.
Zachery Johnson, age 36, pleaded guilty to aggravated rape and aggravated kidnapping. A judge sentenced Johnson to 20 years for the aggravated rape charge, and 12 years for the aggravated kidnapping charge. He’ll serve those two sentences concurrently, and will not have the chance of parole. Once he’s out, he’ll have to register as a sex offender
The incident occurred back in January when the victim, an Uber driver, picked Johnson up at a restaurant near Hamilton Place Mall after a server had determined he was too drunk to drive and bought him a ride. Johnson attacked the driver from behind, forcing her to go to a secluded neighborhood. While the victim was held against her will, she was able to make a phone call to her boyfriend, who was in Georgia at the time. When he heard the sounds of the attack, he called 911. However, it was routed to a different county. The dispatchers alerted Hamilton County and after 90 minutes, officers located Johnson, still with the victim in the SUV.