ST. LOUIS — A former Lyft driver accused of raping a woman who bought a ride from him in 2019 opted to go to trial Friday instead of taking a 12-year plea deal.
Larry Ward, 57, of St. Peters, is facing first-degree rape and kidnapping charges stemming from the alleged assault.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s Office offered Ward a 12-year plea deal, which he rejected about two hours after the plea hearing was scheduled to begin Friday.
Judge Scott Millikan scheduled a trial for Aug. 8.
Judge Michael Colona originally set a bond for Ward at 10% of $100,000 – which he posted.
He will remain out on that bond until his trial.
His alleged victim, Cristen Giangarra, was prepared to give a victim impact statement and remained in a private room away from the courtroom where Ward was meeting with his attorney.
Giangarra, 33, has spoken publicly about her alleged attack, which happened after she used the Lyft app to find a safe ride home following a night out celebrating and drinking with friends on June 22, 2019.
She has told 5 On Your Side in previous interviews that what was supposed to be a six-minute ride turned into 51 minutes of terror, which included waking up with Ward smiling and on top of her.
She is suing the company, alleging it cut corners on checking criminal backgrounds, which allowed Ward to work for the company despite warning signs in his criminal history. And she claims the company refused to hire him once before when a previous background check showed his felony history.
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