Oklahoma lawmaker charged with forcibly kissing Uber driver

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – An Oklahoma state senator has been charged with sexual battery after an Uber driver accused him of grabbing her head and kissing her neck while she was driving him to a bar in June.

In court documents filed Wednesday, an Oklahoma City police detective says the driver told investigators that Republican state Sen. Bryce Marlatt stumbled into her car and commented on her appearance when she picked him up from a restaurant June 26.

She said during the ride, he grabbed her and kissed her neck and shoulder. Marlatt, a 40-year-old married father of four from the western Oklahoma city of Woodward, previously said he was shocked by the allegations.

Neither he nor his lawyer, Scott Anderson, replied to phone messages and emails seeking comment about the charge. Marlatt is the third Republican Oklahoma state senator to face criminal charges this year.