Uber driver arrested, charged in rape of student in Villanova University residence hall, sources say
VILLANOVA, Pa. (CBS) — An Uber driver was arrested and charged Friday morning in the alleged rape of a Villanova University student that happened three weeks ago inside a campus dorm, sources confirm.
Court records and sources show 26-year-old Mirvan Dinler of Trappe, Pennsylvania, is facing counts of rape, sexual assault, indecent assault and reckless endangerment.
The accuser first reported the alleged attack to the school's Department of Public Safety two weeks ago today. That same day, the university notified the school community and issued statements to CBS News Philadelphia.
In its statement, the university said it had identified the perpetrator and that he was an Uber driver. Villanova also said at the time he was banned from campus.
In September, Uber also said it banned the driver and was cooperating.
CBS News Philadelphia has since followed the investigation closely and has made numerous requests for comment and updates from Villanova.
When informed that an arrest had been made, a spokesperson referred us to the Delaware County District Attorney's Office for comment. The DA's office declined to comment on the investigation.
On Monday, the DA's office and Radnor Township Police assumed the lead on the investigation. Detectives say Dinler was taken into custody early Friday morning without incident.
Dinler is in jail after being unable to post bail, 10% of a $250,000 bond. His court documents do not list an attorney.
Court documents provide more details
According to a criminal complaint and an affidavit of probable cause, the victim is a 21-year-old female Villanova student. Delaware County detectives said the woman had met up with some friends before a night out for a friend's birthday celebration. The woman said she had five drinks and had not eaten dinner before joining two friends to get a ride share into Philadelphia for the celebration at a club in North Philadelphia.
The woman started feeling sick on the ride there. Once the three arrived at the club, the 21-year-old called an Uber to go home. The two friends waited outside with her until the driver, Dinler, arrived in a Toyota Prius.
The detectives said after Dinler brought the woman back to Hovnanian Hall on Villanova's campus, he followed her into her dorm room and raped her. Detectives found security camera footage timestamped between 11:09 and 11:10 p.m. showing a man escorting the woman through the building entrance. Data from the student access card system showed her card was swiped at the entrance at 11:10 p.m. and again at her dorm room door at 11:12 p.m.
The woman was shown the surveillance footage and identified Dinler as the man who had sexually assaulted her in the room.
Dinler left the woman's room after the assault but returned a short time later, the detectives wrote in the affidavit. He encountered a resident assistant and told them he was an Uber driver trying to collect a fee from the woman. The woman said she cracked the door of her room and handed her phone out. Dinler then used her phone and Venmo account to pay $150 to another user.
The woman said she told a resident assistant who was near the room to ask Dinler to leave. Dinler left after the transaction was finished.