A New Jersey state trooper is accused of pulling over two women and threatening to arrest them if they didn’t give him their number.
In a statement issued to The Press of Atlantic City, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced that Eric Richardson, 32, is facing various charges, including official misconduct, criminal coercion, and tampering with public records. Richardson allegedly used his position to harass two women—one on multiple occasions—from November 2016 to January 2017.
According to the newspaper, Richardson pulled over a woman on November 22, 2016, claiming that her windows were tinted and her registration was expired. He pulled her over a second time and forced her to give him her number, the statement alleged. The trooper is said to have messaged the woman several times.
Richardson reportedly pulled over the same woman in Atlantic City on January 3, 2017. This time, he allegedly asked her if she was getting his text messages. He’s accused of writing in a police report that he was conducting a stop to assist a motorist.
The statement said Richardson pulled over another woman on December 23, 2016, and threatened to arrest her if she didn’t give him her number. Philly.com reported that Richardson let the woman go despite her having an open warrant.
We allege that the defendant used his authority as a police officer to harass two women and he then falsified official records to cover up his misconduct,” Division of Criminal Justice director Elie Honig said, according to NJ.com. “These are serious charges.”
NJ.com reported that the Attorney General’s Office claimed Richardson turned off his dashboard camera during some of these sketchy stops. The 32-year-old is facing additional charges for allegedly accessing the FBI database to get information on the female employee of one of his friends. Officials claimed he texted the friend photos of the woman’s driving history.
The state trooper has been suspended pending the conclusion of his criminal case. An arraignment date hasn’t been set.
[Featured Image: Eric Richardson/New Jersey Attorney General’s Office]
