NEWPORT — An 18-year-old Goshen, N.H., man was sentenced to two years in the House of Corrections on Thursday for shooting two people on Oak Street in Newport following a botched drug deal on the rail trail.
Jordan Richardson pleaded guilty to three felonies during his plea and sentencing hearing, including two counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to sell the controlled drug THC, an active ingredient in marijuana.
The shooting incident took place in broad daylight on Dec. 8, 2018, after Richards on tried to sell “THC cartridges” to other teenagers, who took them without paying for them and fled down the trail, according to authorities. Richardson and his father, Kurt, drove after the teens and the younger Richardson ended up shooting one of the teens in the chest, causing life-threatening and lasting injuries. The other suffered graze marks, said Sullivan County Attorney Marc Hathaway.
“These offenses don’t have to define your life, but your actions have consequences,” Sullivan Superior Court Judge Brian Tucker told Richardson before two sheriffs deputies took him into custody on Thursday. “Here, you engaged in a drug deal and brought a gun to the drug deal and you used the gun. Those are serious offenses.”
Tucker said this type of conduct typically would warrant a New Hampshire State Prison sentence, but Richardson’s age and the fact that he had no prior criminal record, among other things, played into the arrangement that will have him serve his time at the Unity jail.
Richardson expressed remorse for his actions.
“I wish none of this had ever happened,” he told the judge. “This has hurt a lot of people, and I’m sorry about that.”
His attorney, Richard Guerriero, hinted that Richardson may have had a self-defense case, but Richardson felt it was in his best interest to take the plea deal. The parties involved gave varying statements to police after the incident, but Guerriero said Jordan Richardson was being assaulted when he pulled out the firearm and shot it.
Hathaway said he felt the sentence, which calls for two consecutive 12-month House of Corrections sentences for the assault charges, with the second sentence focusing on programming and rehabilitation, was appropriate. Richardson has the potential to serve part of the second sentence outside of jail.
“He is a decent young man who was engaging in bad behavior,” Hathaway said. “We hope this is an isolated event.”
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Richardson also received a separate 3½- to 7-year suspended state prison sentence for the drug charge, which can be imposed if he misbehaves.
Richardson must pay up to $33,800 in restitution to one of his victims, a cost that will cover uninsured medical expenses. Some of the expenses are long-term care the teenager must undergo because of a toxic substance in his body from birdshot, the type of ammunition Richardson fired.
The attorneys said in court that Jordan Richardson was in part acting under the influence of his father that day, who wanted to recover the stolen cartridges.
Kurt Richardson, who is suffering from unrelated health issues that have him wheelchair-bound, faces four charges in connection with the incident, including felonious use of a firearm, reckless conduct with a deadly weapon and two drug charges. He has pleaded not guilty and his case is ongoing.
Kurt Richardson allegedly drove his son and a juvenile to an area near the rail trail so they could conduct the drug deal. After the group of teenagers fled with the product, Kurt Richardson allegedly drove at a high rate of speed and blocked in the teens’ vehicle. He also allegedly pointed a firearm out of the window of his truck.
Hathaway previously told Tucker, the judge, that the Richardsons were selling drugs to pay bills. Kurt Richardson remains out on bail. The date of his next court hearing wasn’t immediately available.
Tucker offered a few final words to the younger Richardson before he left the courtroom, saying there are many different types of inmates at the jail.
“Choose your friends carefully there,” Tucker said. “There is no reason why you can’t come out of this in a better place.”
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.