Virginia Cop Sent to Prison for Using Police Computer to Stalk Woman He Met on Tinder

A Virginia police officer was sentenced for misusing police resources to stalk a woman he met on Tinder, according to a report.

Leary Wright, an officer with the Richmond Police Department, connected with a woman, referred to as "C.T." on the dating app, WRIC News reported.

Wright became intrigued and used a police database to obtain the woman's personal information, including her address, without consent.

Soon after, Wright began to contact her, falsely identifying himself as a detective, which led to legal proceedings.

Wright was charged with computer invasion of privacy and impersonating a detective in March 2024. While the impersonation charge was dropped, Wright pleaded no contest to the privacy violation and received a suspended 90-day prison sentence, the ABC affiliate reported.

He was also ordered to complete community service, continue mental health treatment, and maintain good behavior, and to avoid contact with C.T., according to court documents obtained by the outlet.

In light of this incident, Wright has not been let go from his position. Instead, he has been placed on administrative leave without pay pending an internal investigation by the department.

"Officer Leary Wright was first placed on administrative leave with pay in December 2023," James Mercante with the Richmond Police Department told the outlet. "In March 2024, once the department learned that Officer Leary had been indicted by the Richmond Grand Jury on two misdemeanor charges, his status was changed to administrative leave without pay and he remains in this status."