Linden State Trooper Admits To Improperly Stopping Female Drivers, Asking Them Out On Dates

LINDEN, NJ — A New Jersey State Trooper who lives in Linden admitted Monday in court that he targeted female drivers to pull over, looked through their cell phones and then asked them out on dates. In some cases, the trooper would demand the women unlock their cell phones for him, scroll through their photos and then make copies of intimate photos or videos of the women, which he would then send to his personal cell phone.

The trooper, Marquice Prather, 38, of Linden, would then ask the women if they wanted to go on a date with him. In one case, he found marijuana in the trunk of a woman's car but threw it away. Prather was arrested last December, after several women anonymously complained about him to State Police headquarters. State Police began auditing all Prather's patrol stops and realized he was targeting women 18 to 42 years old on New Jersey highways.

Prather falsely reported the gender of drivers he pulled over to disguise the fact that he stopped a high number of women, the New Jersey attorney general's office said.

Prather pleaded guilty Monday to charges of third-degree invasion of privacy, fourth-degree tampering with physical evidence, and fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records. Under the plea agreement, Prather must forfeit his job as a state trooper and will be permanently barred from public office or employment. He has already been suspended without pay by the State Police since his arrest on Dec. 9, 2016.

State Police investigated and found numerous incidents involving Prather that reflected a pattern of pulling over women, ranging in age from 18 to 42, and soliciting them to go on a date with him or give him their phone numbers. Prather pleaded guilty to the three charges:

He requested and searched the cell phones of numerous female drivers without justification, after asking the women to unlock the phones. He looked through personal information and images on the phones and, in some cases, reproduced intimate photos and videos of the women.

Prather disposed of suspected marijuana that he seized from the vehicle of a female motorist.

Prather falsely reported the gender of drivers he pulled over to disguise the fact that he stopped a high number of females.

Several women initially came forward to file complaints against Prather about improper conduct. Once State Police started investigating, a number of other women subsequently gave statements outlining similar conduct.