Indiana National Guard recruiter accused of groping female recruit

LAWRENCE, Ind. - An arrest warrant has been issued for an Indiana National Guard recruiter who is accused of groping a female recruit's breast against her will.




Trey Richards of Vincennes was charged on April 30 with one count of official misconduct, a Level 6 felony, and one count of misdemeanor battery. A warrant for his arrest was issued the same day. As of the publication of this article, Richards has not been arrested.




According to court documents, Richards picked up the Indiana National Guard recruit at 3 a.m. on Dec. 10, 2024. Richards was meant to drive the recruit to the Military Entrance Processing Station in Lawrence to complete the testing phase of her onboarding process.

The recruit told investigators Richards made several sexual comments straight away, including telling the recruit that he wished she'd arrived sooner so they could "climb in the backseat."




Richards allegedly made several more comments that were sexual in nature during the two-hour drive from Washington, Indiana, to Lawrence. The recruit said she was uncomfortable but was a subordinate to Richards, so she didn't want to confront him.




The pair arrived early at the Lawrence MEPS center and the recruit said she tried to take a nap in the front seat of the vehicle. This is when Richards allegedly reached his hand inside her shirt, under her bra, and groped her breasts.




The victim accused Richards of groping her for roughly a minute while she feigned sleep. She told investigators she was frozen with fear, but once again was worried to speak out and risk jeopardizing her military career.




According to court records, this wasn't the first time Richards stepped over the line with the recruit. She told investigators that in the months before the December assault, Richards sent her nude pictures of himself on Instagram using vanishing mode. His communications also allegedly contained unprovoked and unwanted sexual comments, including detailing sexual acts he wished to perform on the recruit.




The recruit did report the incidents to the Indiana National Guard, according to court records. The victim told police Richards caught wind of the investigation and called her up, stating, "Nothing happened between us, right?"




The victim told investigators the statement felt threatening in nature, as if Richards was telling her to forget about the assault.




Lawrence police ended up applying for a search warrant for Richards' Instagram account. They learned Richards did communicate with the victim via Instagram, but the contents weren't available due to him allegedly using the vanishing mode.




An investigation into Richards by the National Guard is reportedly ongoing, according to police investigators.




The Indiana National Guard has not yet responded to a request for comment.





via: https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/indiana-national-guard-recruiter-accused-of-groping-female-recruit/