A former New York Police Department officer has been charged with vehicular manslaughter for allegedly causing the death of a motorcyclist in a crash on the Thruway in Cornwall in 2023.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced the arrest of the former officer, Kevin Richmond, 43, of Highland Mills in Orange County.
Richmond was off duty at the time of the crash.
According to James, shortly after midnight on July 27, 2023, Richmond, who was in his personal vehicle at the time, allegedly collided with a motorcycle driven by Nidia Nieves, who was traveling north on the Thruway in the Town of Cornwall.
Richmond was allegedly intoxicated at the time.
Nieves was thrown from her motorcycle, suffered traumatic injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
James’ Office of Special Investigations probed the crash. That investigation resulted in Richmond’s arrest.
Richmond was charged with second-degree vehicular manslaughter, a felony, and two counts of driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor.
Richmond was arraigned June 17 before Newburgh City Court Judge Paul Trachte. He was released after posting $20,000 cash bail and is due back in court on Aug. 6.
The name of Richmond’s attorney was not immediately available.
James said Richmond faces a maximum sentence of 2 1/3 to 7 years in state prison if he is convicted of the vehicular manslaughter charge.
Mike Randll covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Former NYPD officer charged with manslaughter in fatal Cornwall crash
Reporting by Mike Randall, Middletown Times Herald- Record / Times Herald-Record
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