LAKEPORT — Charges against a Lakeport Police officer of misappropriating government funds appear to have arisen largely from an investigation that discovered the officer was reportedly carrying on a sexual affair with an 18-year-old woman while on duty.
On Thursday, sheriff”s deputies and District Attorney”s Office staffers arrested Richard Edward Erickson, 53, an 11-year Lakeport PD veteran, on felony charges of misappropriating government funds, making terrorist threats and stalking, and two misdemeanors, domestic battery and violating a restraining order.
Lakeport Police began investigating Erickson in May, according to an investigation report authored by District Attorney”s investigator, John Flynn.
Flynn conducted surveillance on Erickson in late May as part of LPD”s internal investigation. In June, the department placed Erickson on administrative leave.
The investigation uncovered that Erickson began a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old Lakeport woman in September 2005, after the two saw each other at the Lake County Fair, where Erickson let her and her friends into the event for free. She knew of Erickson already, however, because she had gone to school with his son.
According to the woman”s statements in the report, they had a consensual sexual relationship from September 2005 until this past June.
During that time, the young woman told investigators that she and Erickson had sex while he was on duty, but that the relationship carried on after hours as well. On one of their dates they went to Round Table Pizza; she said Erickson even brought along his child.
In June the young woman filed a restraining order against Erickson, claiming that during a meeting while he was on duty on May 22 he grabbed her and shoved her up against his patrol car. The encounter ended when he received a call and left.
In an interview with Flynn on June 22, the young woman said that Erickson had never hurt her. But because of previous threats Flynn contacted Judge Arthur Mann and asked for an emergency protective order on the woman”s behalf, which Mann authorized.
In a statement submitted with the restraining order the woman said he had threatened to “bury me on a hill where I would never be found by anyone if I ever told anyone about our relationship and/or his actions.”
She added, “I thought that he was joking and told him that he would get caught. He told me that he would never be caught …”
The charges against Erickson allege that he violated the restraining order, and that he refused to surrender six weapons including a 9 mm Smith & Wesson and a .380 caliber Colt when ordered to do so.
During the course of the investigation another woman told authorities that when she was 18 she had a sexual relationship with Erickson, with the two of them having encounters when he was on duty.
A call placed to prosecutor Rachel Abelson about future court dates in the case was not returned.
Contact Elizabeth Larson at elarson@record-bee.com
