Newport — A father and son charged in connection with a drug-related shooting incident in Newport both pleaded not guilty on Thursday to several felony charges during their arraignments in Sullivan Superior Court.
Judge Brian Tucker released Goshen, N.H., residents Kurt Richardson, 41, and 18-year-old Jordan Richardson on $10,000 personal recognizance bail each, despite a push by Sullivan County Attorney Marc Hathaway to have them both held pending trial.
Meanwhile, Hathaway released new details about what prompted the shooting.
The prosecutor said Jordan Richardson allegedly shot not one but two people around 2:20 p.m. on Saturday on Oak Street following a botched drug deal on the nearby rail trail. Jordan Richardson allegedly shot a 17-year-old boy in the chest with a .22-caliber handgun, causing life-threatening injuries, and also shot another juvenile, resulting in graze marks, Hathaway said. The 17-year-old currently is listed in stable condition, he added.
Kurt Richardson, who had both his son and a juvenile in his truck, allegedly brandished a rifle as he drove down Oak Street in broad daylight at speeds reaching 80 mph in pursuit of a vehicle containing several juveniles. He did so in an effort to recover THC-containing drugs that the juveniles had stolen from the Richardsons that afternoon, according to Hathaway.
Jordan Richardson allegedly fired the shots after a failed attempt to recover a “relatively small amount” of drugs, Hathaway said.
“(Jordan Richardson) shot one man, nearly killing him, and struck another individual,” Hathaway explained to Tucker in a bid to have Jordan Richardson held without bail. “That is not the kind of conduct that suggests he is an appropriate individual to be in the community.”
Jordan Richardson’s attorney, Richard Guerriero, told Tucker a different version of events. He didn’t deny that his client fired a weapon, but said he did so in self-defense after one or more of the juveniles beat him up.
“Three guys tried to rip off one guy and then there was a confrontation about that, and as one person is being beat, he defends himself,” Guerriero said, adding that his client’s face is bruised. “I don’t think that poses any danger to the community.”
It isn’t clear how many shots Jordan Richardson allegedly fired.
Kurt Richardson, seated in a wheelchair, didn’t have an attorney present and spoke on his own behalf in court.
Kurt Richardson told the judge that he is suffering from health issues unrelated to this incident and that he would be better off at home, as he is not supposed to be sedentary for long periods of time.
“I am not a flight risk. I turned myself in ... I feel that I should be able to get bail,” he said.
Hathaway called Kurt Richardson’s behavior “very dangerous,” and said the Richardsons were selling drugs to pay bills.
Tucker ultimately released both of the men, who were arraigned separately, on their own recognizance.
The Richardsons do not have prior criminal records.
About a dozen school-aged kids attended the Richardsons’ arraignments, as well as several adults, including Jordan Richardson’s mother and aunt.
They all declined to speak with a reporter after the hearings.
The 17-year-old victim’s parents also attended the hearings, and left the courtroom promptly after the judge announced his decision to release the Richardsons.
“This is a joke,” the victim’s mother, who declined to give her name, said outside the courtroom. “I don’t think they should be released.”
None of the juveniles’ names have been released, and all of them were referred to by their initials in court.
The affidavit in the case is sealed, as is the motion to seal the affidavit, according to a court clerk.
According to police and prosecutors, Kurt Richardson drove Jordan Richardson and another juvenile to a portion of the rail trail near Patten’s Auto & Truck Works to meet a group of juveniles and sell them drugs.
During the drug transaction, the juveniles took the drugs and ran without paying for them, prompting Jordan Richardson and the juvenile to get back into Kurt Richardson’s truck to give chase.
Kurt Richardson pursued the juveniles’ fleeing vehicle in his pickup, at one point brandishing a rifle, Hathaway said.
The juvenile driver tried to turn the vehicle around on Oak Street but got stuck in a snowbank. Jordan Richardson got out of his father’s truck and approached the vehicle, according to Hathaway.
Jordan Richardson allegedly fired the shots. The Richardsons left the area and later turned themselves into police, Hathaway recounted.
The drug transaction took place within a school zone, prompting an additional charge against each of the men.
The Richardsons both pleaded not guilty to felonious use of a firearm and conspiracy to sell controlled drugs in a school zone.
Jordan Richardson also pleaded not guilty to first-degree assault, while Kurt Richardson pleaded not guilty to reckless conduct with a deadly weapon and criminal solicitation of a minor.
The dates of their next court hearings weren’t immediately available.
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.