Detectives with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station are investigating an Uber Eats driver who took more than a tip for her delivery efforts.
A Castaic woman reported to the SCV Sheriff’s Station that after her Sept. 5 delivery was made to her doorstep, the driver stole her package — a box of new Nike blue track shoes that were valued at just over $50, according to L.A. County Superior Court records.
It also appears the victim did a little detective work before speaking with the detective handling the case, according to a Sheriff’s Department request to search Uber Eats records.
The detective investigating the case mentioned to the judge in the search request that the victim had found two separate social media profiles that matched the woman she suspected of stealing her package, which matched up to a former Santa Clarita resident. One of the profiles mentions Bowman High School.
The victim compared the suspect’s driver’s license photo, which was posted on one of the accounts, to the surveillance footage from her home, and believes based on the resemblance that it’s the same person, according to the detective’s narrative. The detective viewed both bits of evidence and agreed.
When Sheriff’s Station officials received the evidence requested from Uber Eats, there was a slight wrinkle: It appears the account was registered to a different person, a woman who looked similar to the suspect but did not have previous convictions for burglary, grand theft and identity theft.
Uber Eats’ stated policy on its website notes that it uses third-party agents like Checkr, HireRight and Samba Safety for employee background checks.
“Certain criminal convictions may result in disqualification regardless of when they occurred, including murder, sexual assault and terrorism-related offenses,” according to the website, which did not list a number for media contact. “The criteria for the background check may differ based on local laws and Uber’s safety standards.”
It’s unknown if the suspect has been arrested in connection with the investigation.
A spokesperson for the SCV Sheriff’s Station was not immediately available Friday.
Access to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s online custody records was also not available Friday.
No charges have been filed in connection with the theft as of this story’s publication.
