New York Local News

NEW YORK (CBS) ― The New York cab driver previously involved in a baby-abandonment case surrendered to police on Friday to face accusations that he sexually assaulted a passenger.

Klever Sailema turned himself over to police at the 114th Precinct in Astoria just after 11 a.m. Sailema was accompanied by NYS Federation of Taxi Drivers spokesman Fernando Mateo.

The 46-year-old driver said nothing as he walked into the stationhouse to face possible charges.

Mateo, speaking to the media on Sailema's behalf since the alleged incident on Monday, says the accused cab driver denies the allegation, and the public should reserve judgment.

Police had been asking for help from the public in locating Sailema, who picked up the 23-year-old alleged victim on Monday in Astoria and drove her to 28th Avenue where she said he assaulted her.

Sailema's lawyer, Kevin Faga, says the driver claims the woman was drunk and sexually aggressive and actually attacked the cab driver after tossing his keys out of the car.

Many wondered why anyone should believe the taxi driver's story after an incident last year turned out to be a hoax. Sailema was briefly hailed a hero for dropping off an abandoned baby at a firehouse, but police later said he made it all up and had plotted with the baby's father to get rid of the 6-month-old girl.

"He discredited himself last year, but if you look at the bottom line, he saved the baby's life," Mateo said. "Let's all remember that there's always two sides to the story. It's very simple, she fell asleep in the back of the car and he reached back to try and wake her up, and she thought he was trying to attack him."

That's when Sailema says the woman became violent with him, and not the other way around.

"When she woke up, she thought he was trying to touch her inappropriately," said Mateo. "At that point she attacked him, she attacked him brutally.

"He'll have the opportunity in court and he'll prove his innocence," added Mateo. "Women make mistakes too and they're wrong sometimes too."

Last year, Sailema was hailed as a hero for dropping off a supposedly abandoned baby at a firehouse. Days later, police said he had plotted with the baby's great-aunt and father to get rid of her. The baby's mother was a 14-year-old runaway.

He initially told investigators that a nervous-looking man got into his cab carrying the baby and a diaper bag, then disappeared after asking him to pull over so he could make a phone call. Sailema provided enough detail that police released a sketch of the suspect. He repeated his tale to reporters at a news conference.

Two days later, police declared Sailema had made it up. The baby's mother was a 14-year-old runaway from Baltimore, officials said.

Sailema was charged with falsely reporting an incident and criminal facilitation. His girlfriend, Maria Siavichay, was charged with criminal facilitation.

Attorneys for the couple implored the district attorney's office to drop the charges because they said they were only trying to help the baby. Prosecutors later agreed, saying charges would be dismissed at an October court hearing if the couple stays out of trouble until then.

Sailema said he felt he was saving Daniella from a harsher fate and made up the story to protect his new girlfriend from questions about her immigration status.

"Everything was falling on my responsibility, on my shoulders," Sailema told reporters. "I only thought about the child."

Sailema, who's originally from Ecuador, apologized "for making up something that didn't exist."

The baby and her teen mother, whose name has not been released, went back to Maryland. A spokeswoman for the Maryland Department of Social Services has said decisions have been made for their well being.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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