Police said the 18-year-old woman believed the man was her driving instructor before getting into his car.
ROCHESTER, NY — A Rochester city crossing guard is accused of posing as a driving instructor, luring an 18-year-old woman into his car and raping her at his Hudson Avenue apartment, police said.
Wayne Plummer, 58, faces charges after police said the woman traveled from Orleans County for a driving lesson on May 23. Investigators said she was waiting near State Street and Lyell Avenue when Plummer pulled up and began talking to her. Police said he was not employed by the driving school and had no known connection to it.
The woman had taken a bus from downtown Rochester to the area for a scheduled appointment, police said. When she arrived, the driving school was closed, so she waited outside. Rochester Police Capt. Greg Bello said there were “circumstances leading up to it in terms of appointment times” that left her outside the normal routine for the lesson. Plummer then approached in a vehicle and spoke with her, Bello said. “Plummer begins a conversation with her, leading her to believe that he’s a driving instructor,” Bello said. “I want to make this perfectly clear: He is not.”
Police said the woman got into Plummer’s car because she believed he was the instructor assigned to her lesson. Investigators said Plummer drove around the city before taking her to his residence in the 300 block of Hudson Avenue, where police said he sexually assaulted her. During the incident, the woman was able to reach her phone and text a family member, police said. That family member tracked the phone while contacting police. Officers responded to the Hudson Avenue address, found the woman and took Plummer into custody there. The woman was taken to a local hospital for treatment, police said.
Plummer was charged with two counts of first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse and second-degree unlawful imprisonment. Police said the unlawful imprisonment charge is tied to allegations that he blocked the woman from leaving. He was taken to the Monroe County Jail and held on $5,000 bail. Police and city officials said Plummer worked for the City of Rochester as a crossing guard, and the city had begun the process of ending his employment. Authorities have not said whether investigators believe Plummer knew the woman would be waiting there or whether he had prior contact with her.
The case also prompted a public clarification from the Rochester City School District after social media posts wrongly connected Plummer to the district. The district said Plummer was not a district employee and said it would not comment further because the case remains an active criminal investigation and legal proceeding. Police also said Plummer had no connection to the driving school where the woman expected to take her lesson. Bello said driving schools often handle young students and usually have procedures meant to identify instructors and vehicles before lessons begin.
AAA driver training manager Michael Formanowicz, who has worked in driver training for about 20 years, called the allegation disturbing and said driving schools take student safety seriously. He said lesson locations, instructor identity and vehicle details are usually set before a lesson begins. Formanowicz said vehicles used by his organization are marked for student driving, and instructors carry certificate cards. Bello said the Rochester Police Department’s focus remains on the criminal case and on the woman’s recovery. “Hopefully, she gets the help she needs and can recover from this as much as she can,” Bello said.
Plummer is due back in court Friday, according to local reports. Police said the investigation is continuing, and no additional arrests had been announced as of Thursday.
Author note: Last updated May 28, 2026.