Suzanne Russell

@SRussellMyCJ

A 37-year-old New Jersey State Trooper is accused of conducting motor vehicle stops of young women in an effort to solicit them for dates or to get them to give him their telephone numbers.

Trooper Marquice Prather, 37, of Linden, was arrested and suspended from his job without pay in connection with allegedly tampering with or falsifying public records to cover up the improper stops of young females drivers to proposition them for dates, according to a news release from the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.

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Prather was arrested late Friday, Dec. 9, on charges of third-degree tampering with public records or information and fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records. He was released without bail after being processed.

According to the Attorney General's Office, the New Jersey State Police Office of Professional Standards investigated a number of incidents related to Prather that allegedly showed a pattern of pulling over young women, ages 20 to 35, and soliciting them to go on a date with him or give him their phone numbers.

The investigation also revealed several alleged violations by Prather, such as intentionally deactivating his wireless microphone during such incidents and falsely reporting that it malfunctioned; and falsely reporting the gender of drivers he pulled over to disguise the fact that he stopped a high number of women.

Several women came forward to file complaints against Prather alleging improper conduct. Other women gave statements outlining similar alleged conduct after they were contacted by investigators auditing Prather’s patrol activities.

If convicted, third-degree charges carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000, while fourth-degree charges carry a sentence of up to 18 months in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Staff Writer Suzanne Russell: 732-565-7335; srussell@mycentraljersey.com