Post by scannerman5555 on Aug 29, 2004 19:46:07 GMT -5
Sunday, August 29, 2004
Huntington Station
Police: Cabbie picked up customer, raped her
BY DIONNE SEARCEY
STAFF WRITER
August 30, 2004
A 24-year-old taxi driver was arrested early Saturday after he picked up a passenger at a Huntington Station tavern and raped her in his cab, according to Suffolk Police.
Nelson Velasquez, of 301 28th St., Copiague, was arrested for rape and was to be arraigned during the weekend, according to Suffolk Police Detective Sgt. Steven Bluethgen.
Employees of the tavern called Universal Taxi of Huntington Station about 3:30 a.m. Saturday to take the woman, who was visiting from overseas, to her friend's house, Bluethgen said. The cab arrived and workers helped the woman inside.
Velasquez drove the woman to near her destination and started making advances toward her, Bluethgen said. He raped her in the vehicle, then drove her around for a short time, and she eventually persuaded him to drop her near her destination, police said.
She called the police from her friend's house. Officers took her to an area hospital, where she was treated and released. Bluethgen said she was able to provide police with a partial description of the cab that helped officers track down Velasquez.
Police said Velasquez had no criminal record. Jose Fuentes, a dispatcher at Universal Taxi, said the company had never had problems with Velasquez -- or any of its drivers.
A man who answered the phone at Velasquez's home and identified himself as his nephew declined to comment.
"Right now I don't know what's going to happen because they're investigating everything," Fuentes said.
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.