Sameh Chami, 49, was arrested by the Friendswood Police Department on August 6 and charged with aggravated kidnapping.

FRIENDSWOOD, Texas — A Houston rideshare driver has been cleared of kidnapping charges filed in August by the Friendswood Police Department.

Sameh Chami, 49, was arrested in August following an investigation after a 21-year-old woman told police that the Uber driver had abducted her in the early morning hours of June 28. Her relatives said they later found her sleeping in a car near an abandoned business. She told them that she’d been drinking earlier in the evening and was falling in and out of sleep on the ride home.

The Galveston County District Attorney’s Office did its own investigation and declined to indict Chami. 

“After reviewing the evidence, the District Attorney’s Office has decided not to seek an indictment against this person,” Assistant DA Brent Haynes confirmed in a statement to KHOU 11. “This is an active investigation and law enforcement is pursuing other suspects.”

Chami’s defense attorney said they uncovered evidence that helped clear him.

RELATED: Rideshare driver charged with kidnapping, accused of abducting Friendswood woman, police say

“Surveillance video from a nearby daycare confirms that the timeline of events made the allegations against our client impossible,” attorney Brett Landriault said in a statement. 

He added that forensic testing also supported Chami’s innocence.

Chami, who is originally from Lebanon, remains in custody at the Galveston County Jail, where he is being held on an immigration detainer, his attorney said. They expect him to be transferred to an ICE detention facility in the coming days due to allegations that he is in the United States unlawfully after overstaying his immigration visa. 

“Mr. Chami’s case made headlines following Fox News coverage and a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice referencing Mr. Chami’s immigration status,” Landriault said. “Prosecutors’ decision to drop the charges marks a major step toward clearing his name.”

He said the FBI is still deciding whether to pursue federal charges against Chami.

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