December 13, 2016
A New Jersey state trooper was arrested for allegedly abusing his authority by illegally stopping female motorists so he could ask them on dates, state officials said Tuesday.
Marquice Prather, 37, of Linden, was suspended Friday from his job with the New Jersey State Police, the state Attorney General's Office announced. He has been charged with third-degree tampering with public records and fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records.
A probe was initiated by the New Jersey State Police Office of Professional Standards after several women accused Prather of improper conduct. Investigators uncovered a pattern of Prather allegedly pulling over female drivers between the ages of 20 and 35. During the stop, he would request their phone numbers and solicit them to go on a date with him.
The investigation also revealed that Prather attempted to cover up his actions. He has been accused of deactivating his wireless microphone while claiming it had malfunctioned and falsely reporting the gender of drivers so he could hide the number of women he had stopped.
Prather was suspended without pay from the force and released without bail.
