Lyft driver accused of picking up 2 teens, sexually assaulting 1, CMPD says

CHARLOTTE — Police say a Charlotte Lyft driver picked up two teenagers on the side of a Charlotte road and took them to his apartment to allegedly sexually assault one of them.

Investigators said Dominique Jackson picked up the 14-year-old and 15-year-old girls at the end of February.

Detectives said Jackson took the girls back to his Highland Terrace apartment off The Plaza in northeast Charlotte. It’s where officers said he made one of the teens perform oral sex.

Channel 9′s Hunter Sáenz paid him a visit Monday after he posted bond on two felony charges.

“I mean, did you meet these girls?” Sáenz asked.

“I mean, I’m not at liberty to really say too much because I haven’t actually met with my attorney yet,” Jackson said.

Police said the two girls were runaways who later showed up to Atrium Health and told doctors what happened.

“Even though these children are runaways and we tend to think of them as like easy targets and victims, they’re also children,” said Jessie Lindberg with Turning Point. “And they’re really vulnerable. And now they’re victims.”

Lindberg is the organization’s executive director. Turning Point is a local organization helping victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

“These children need to go to an expert to help them make sense of what happened,” she said.

Detectives said after the incident, Jackson began messaging one of the teens on Snapchat. According to court documents, he told police he “shot his shot and asked her to have sex with him.”

Lindberg said social media is often a tool for those who prey on children.

“It’s very subtle but it’s very manipulative, and it’s very hard to pull away once they’ve gotten into the clutches of these predators,” she said.

A case like this which seems to be random is highly unusual, Sáenz learned.

Jackson is now charged with indecent liberties with a child and soliciting a child by a computer. Sáenz reached out to Lyft who confirmed Jackson was a driver for them. In a statement, a spokesperson said they don’t believe he was working for them when the incident happened.

“The behavior being alleged has no place in our society, and our thoughts are with the victims,” the spokesperson said. “Based on the information available at this time, we do not believe the incident involved the Lyft platform. We stand ready to assist law enforcement with any investigation.”

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