SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake City pedicab driver has been charged with 11 felony charges, including four counts of felony rape, Thursday.
John Riley Harper, 45, is charged with four counts of first-degree felony rape, two counts of first-degree felony forcible sodomy, two counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse, two counts of third-degree felony surreptitious administering of certain controlled substances, one count of third-degree felony aggravated assault, and one count of class A misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance.
Harper is currently being held in jail without bail.
Allegations against Harper, also known as Alonzo Riley, date back to 2019 and involve six alleged victim-survivors. In one instance, the defendant served the victim wine in glasses. After waking up at his residence with no recollection of what happened, the victim would later be tested to have cocaine and ecstasy in her system, which she also had no memory of consuming. Several other victims came forward with similar circumstances, testing positive for cocaine.
"If there are other individuals that may have had similar alleged experiences as the victim-survivors in this case, we urge them to report that to law enforcement. We appreciate the work of the Salt Lake City Police Department for a thorough investigation that helped lead to the filing of these charges," said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. "All persons accused of wrongdoing are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law."
A first-degree Felony is punishable by a maximum sentence of up to life in prison.
