NJ trooper sought dates from women he pulled over, indictment says

TRENTON - A state trooper accused of trying to date the female drivers he stops and falsifying records to cover up the alleged abuse was indicted on six charges Wednesday, according to the state attorney general's office.

Eric Richardson, 32, of Camden, faces up to 33 years in prison and $350,000 in fines if convicted. He was charged with:

Second-degree official misconduct

Second-degree wrong disclosure of information

Third-degree criminal coercion

Third-degree tampering with records

Fourth-degree falsifying records

Fourth-degree obtaining information from a motor vehicle record

Richardson was first investigated by the internal affairs arm of the State Police for purportedly trying to initiate personal relationships with two women he pulled over in separate incidents, according to a report from the attorney general's office.

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He allegedly turned off his dashboard camera during some of the stops, the report said.

Richardson's attorney, Andaiye Al-Uqdah, did not immediately return phone calls Thursday.

Coercing dates

In November 2016, Richardson pulled over a woman for having illegal tint on her windows, the report said. He let her drive away even though her registration was expired, and then followed her and pulled her over a second time.

The officer pressured the woman into giving him her phone number even though she said she was in a relationship, according to the report.

About two months later, Richardson allegedly pulled over the same woman in Atlantic City to ask if she was getting his texts, the report said. In the dispatch log, he indicated that he stopped to "aid a motorist."

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In December 2016, Richardson was involved in another incident during which he allegedly pulled over another woman in Gloucester Township, showed his handcuffs and threatened arrest her if she didn't give him her phone number, according to the report.

Even though there was an active warrant for the woman's arrest — and her license and registration were both suspended — he let her go, the attorney general's office said. Richardson told the dispatchers the driver was a man.

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In May 2017, Richardson allegedly retrieved information about another woman's driver history from the FBI criminal database and then texted a photo of it to his friend, who was seeking the information about one of his employees.

The third-degree tampering with records and fourth-degree falsifying records charges were filed against Richardson by way of complaint in May 2017, but he wasn't formally indicted until Wednesday, said Peter Aseltine, a spokesman for the attorney general's office.

He was suspended from his position in May 2017 following the two charges, and was removed from his position as a Camden High School basketball coach.

Aseltine said Richardson's arraignment hasn't yet been scheduled.

Kala Kachmar: @NewsQuip; 732-643-4061; kkachmar@gannettnj.com.