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DoorDash delivery driver accused of sending disturbing texts to teenage boy

Posted at 9:36 AM, Nov 27, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-27 09:36:40-05

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) - A Sacramento County mother has a warning for parents after a DoorDash delivery driver sent disturbing messages to her teenage son.

“I was terrified. I know that I’m not there at the moment. I can’t go out and handle this guy myself, so my son is in real danger,” said the mother, who asked KTXL to protect her identity.

Her teenage son ordered Wendy’s off of DoorDash Sunday evening when he was home alone.

After dropping off the food, the driver kept messaging him, first asking the teenager if he lived alone.

“And so he’s screenshotting [the messages] as he’s getting them and sending them to me, and I’m eating my words. I'm like, oh my God, there’s no way. This has got to be a joke,” the mother told KTXL.

The driver went on to ask the boy to come with him on his deliveries before offering to take him to a hotel.

“When he came out with the 'Let me take you to a hotel,' I lost it," the boy's mother said. "Why do you need my son, a minor, at a hotel for 40 minutes? I can’t even think about what his intentions were."

The mother had her friend pick up her son, and the driver was waiting outside. That’s when they called the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

But since no crime was committed, deputies said there was not much they could do.

DoorDash said it has taken action, saying:

We take the safety of our community extremely seriously and do not tolerate any form of inappropriate behavior. We have since taken action, including permanently deactivating the Dasher from our platform for failing to follow our code of conduct, and we are working with the customer to rectify the situation.

DoorDash is for people 18 and older, so the company also canceled the teenager's account.

The mother said she just worries the driver may sign up for another delivery service.

“I would not be surprised if he’s already done this before,”  she said. "Really grateful that my son knew better."

She said she was also trying to get the driver’s name so she can file a restraining order but DoorDash would not release it without a criminal investigation and, again, police said no crime was committed.