Marcus Lewis, the Atlanta Uber driver falsely accused and temporarily suspended after a social media post implicating him was shared more than 20,000 times last weekend, has been reinstated just in time for New Year's Eve.
"I am back rolling," he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Thursday afternoon.
Credit: Jennifer Brett
Credit: Jennifer Brett
Florida realtor Taylor Cleary Corey's open letter to Uber, shared on her publicly accessible Facebook page, implicated Lewis in a supposed crime involving her brother, Bo Cleary. It was shared more than 20,000 times and resulted in Lewis' Uber account being temporarily suspended.
On Tuesday, the Atlanta Police Department released a lengthy statement citing video evidence, stating that Lewis was innocent . Authorities aren't sure any crime took place at all - but they are positive Lewis had no part in Bo Cleary's troubles Saturday night. He at first told authorities he'd been beaten up, robbed and thrown into a drainage ditch after summoning an Uber driver. He also said his phone, money and ATM card were stolen, according to a police report.
“We have not arrived at the conclusion that a robbery took place,” a later statement from the police department said. “We are certain that the Uber driver did not participate in any robbery.”
Uber immediately disputed the claim, pointing to internal data that show Lewis never picked Cleary up.
Still, the ordeal temporarily put Lewis in park for several days and cost him money, since he was unable to work while Uber investigated. The viral social media post eventually was taken down but no one from Cleary's family had apologized to Lewis, he said.
"At the end of the day these are the people who slandered my name without any regard to what it could to do to my family," said Lewis, who has been driving for Uber for about eight months. "They have not apologized. That’s just the type of people they are."
Taylor Corey did not respond to an AJC request for comment. Here is a screen shot of her previous post, which included Lewis' first name and photo:
Credit: Jennifer Brett
Credit: Jennifer Brett
At the moment Lewis, who enjoys his job and the positive reviews from customers he's had in the past, is just happy to be back at work.
"This is what I’ve been building up for," he said. "Today is my daughter’s birthday. She turned 10. We’re going to enjoy that."
As the sun starts to set on one of the busiest nights of the year for an Uber driver, Lewis will be happily listening for calls. Uber has been very supportive, he noted.
"Right now it feels awesome, to just be back on track," he said. "People have been so supportive during this time. It’s been a blessing."
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