A Penn State assistant professor is accused of holding two women against their will while working as an Uber driver

• Richard Lomotey, 36, has been accused of harassing and holding two women against their will while working as an Uber driver outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
• Lomotey, an assistant professor of information science technology at Pennsylvania State University's Beaver County campus, was charged with two counts of kidnapping, false imprisonment, and harassment. 
• According to a criminal complaint, the women told police that Lomotey drove away from his recommended Uber app route, told them they weren't "going anywhere," and tried to lock them in his car.
• The women were able to escape and provided police with information from the Uber app that led to Lomotey's arrest. 
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An assistant professor at Pennsylvania State University's Beaver County campus has been accused of harassing and holding two women against their will while working as an Uber driver over the weekend.

Richard Lomotey, an assistant professor of information science technology, was charged with two counts of kidnapping, false imprisonment, and harassment, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

Pittsburgh police said in a criminal complaint seen by the Post-Gazette that after 36-year-old Lomotey picked up two women in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, early Saturday morning, he started driving away from the recommended Uber app route, and told the women he wanted to "get with them."

Police said that Lomotey then pulled to the side of the road, tried to lock his car's doors, and told the women, "you're not going anywhere," according to the criminal complaint.

The women told police that one of them was able to open one of the back seat doors and they escaped uninjured.

They provided police with a screenshot of Lomotey from the Uber app, along with a description of his car and license plate number.

Lomotey, of Monaca, Pennsylvania, was arrested shortly thereafter and has a preliminary hearing on May 23.

An Uber spokesperson called the incident "unacceptable" in a statement to INSIDER.

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"The driver's access to the app has been removed and we stand ready to cooperate with law enforcement to support their investigation," the statement said.

Penn State Beaver confirmed to INSIDER that Lomotey was an assistant professor of information science technology at the school.

Kristen Doerschner, the director of campus relations at Penn State Beaver, said that the allegations are "deeply troubling and we have revoked his access to campus as we look into this matter."

"This is obviously a criminal matter and we cannot comment further," she said.

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