Court report: Uber driver pleads not guilty on two counts of assault and battery 

Kevin Hoang, 61, of Woburn, pleaded not guilty on March 30 to two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over.

On the evening of March 28, officers responded to reports of an assault on Moody Street. According to the police report, two women were in an Uber en route to Asia Wok. In the report, the women are identified as Victim 1 and Victim 2 per request of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. During the drive, their Uber driver, identified as Hoang, reached into the backseat and grabbed Victim 1’s right breast. Victim 2 demanded that Hoang let them out of the car immediately. 

As she was exiting the car, Victim 2 reported that Hoang grabbed her thigh and squeezed it. In their rush to leave, both women left their purses in the car. They reported that Hoang asked them if they were OK, but sped off when he heard police sirens.

Police were able to get in contact with Hoang by phone. Hoang alleged that he had to let the women out of the car early because they kept changing the drop-off location. He said that he had asked them to exit the vehicle and cancel the ride, but eventually agreed to complete the ride if the women paid him in cash. Hoang said he was reaching in the back seat to grab the cash but they were refusing to pay him. Only one of the purses left in the car was recovered.

During his arraignment on March 30, Hoang pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over. Judge Ellen M. Caulo released Hoang on personal recognizance. His pre-trial hearing is set for April 23.

Additional court actions

Benjamin Bawa, 40, of Lowell, pleaded not guilty on March 25 to possessing a Class A drug. Caulo released him on personal recognizance and his pre-trial hearing is set for May 7.

Michael E. Griffin, 39, of Ayer, pleaded not guilty on March 30 to operating under the influence of liquor second offense and negligent operation of a motor vehicle. He is being held on $750 cash bail and has a pre-trial hearing set for May 27.

Meghan E. Drury, 40, of Waltham, pleaded not guilty on March 30 to one count of assault and battery on a family or household member and one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. According to the police report, Drury is M. Griffin’s girlfriend and assaulted him during an argument while they were driving. She threw a beer can at him and punched him several times in the head. Drury was released on personal recognizance by Caulo and has a pre-trial hearing set for May 27.

Edward H. Griffin III, 35, of Ayer, pleaded not guilty on March 30 to four counts of assault and battery on a police officer and one count of possession of a class C drug subsequent offense. These charges came about when he arrived at the Waltham Police Department to bail out his brother. Since he was intoxicated at the time, officers explained they couldn’t release M. Griffin into his custody. According to the police report, E. Griffin displayed aggressive behavior that escalated as police took him into custody. He was released on personal recognizance by Caulo and has a pre-trial hearing set for May 27.

All information for this story was gathered from court proceedings and official court documents at Waltham District Court and case information from masscourts.org.