Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect that the criminal charges against Joey N. Friedman were dismissed and the case closed.
The president of Uber Promotions was arrested Friday for sexually battering a woman after spiking her drink at a Midtown bar in December, Gainesville Police said.
On Dec. 14, Joey N. Friedman, 32, gave the woman a drink after she returned from the bathroom at Grog House Bar and Grill, located at 1718 W. University Ave., according to a police report. After dancing and drinking, the woman told police she “blacked out.”
The woman, who was out with friends and had a mutual friend with Friedman, told police she had incomplete memories of being tied up in a room and raped, according to the report.
Friedman's company organizes social events and "party bus" rides in Gainesville, sometimes for members of fraternities and sororities at UF. The company was registered in 2006, according to the Florida Division of Corporations. He is also credited as the producer of CMT’s 2015 TV show “Gainesville,” according to his IMDB profile.
During the Dec. 14 incident, the woman stared at the ceiling, trying to ignore what Friedman was doing, she told police, per the report. She was unable to move or speak.
She realized she was under the influence of a drug and confronted Friedman three days later, according to the report.
About two weeks afterward, she told police about the night, according to the report. During questioning, Friedman told police specific details about what happened, even though he told the woman he couldn’t remember because he had too much to drink.
On Wednesday, the woman called Friedman and asked what happened, according to the report. He told her he was drunk, too, and all he remembers is that they “had fun together.”
Police arrested Friedman on a charge of sexual battery. Authorities took him to the Alachua County Jail, where he was released Saturday afternoon on a $50,000 bond. The criminal charge was later dropped and the case dismissed.
Friedman’s lawyer said he had no comment.
