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Officers were dispatched to a gas station in Westport on what initially was reported as an armed robbery of a Uber driver on Wednesday, June 20 at approximately 1 a.m.
Upon arrival, officers learned the Uber driver pulled into the gas station after being sexually assaulted by a passenger, Westport Police said.
The passenger had been picked up at the Greens Farms train station. Shortly after entering the vehicle, the suspect made sexually explicit comments to the victim and groped him, police said.
The victim also reported the suspect began masturbating in the back seat.
The victim pulled into a gas station and contacted police on his cell phone after the suspect exited the car.
Prior to police arrival, the suspect fled the scene on foot.
Officers were able to identify the suspect as Jason Karlen of Westport and took him into custody at his residence.
Karlen was charged with sexual assault, public indecency and threatening. Karlen was held in lieu of $10,000 bond and was transported to Norwalk Court for arraignment later that morning.
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