SEATTLE — A jury on Wednesday acquitted Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer on misdemeanor false-reporting charges related to his confrontation last year with a Black newspaper carrier.
Troyer, who is white, had been charged in October 2021 by the state attorney general’s office with one count of false reporting and one count of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant.
A six-member jury deliberated for about seven hours before returning the unanimous not-guilty verdict on both those counts in Pierce County District Court.
Troyer cried as the verdict was read and hugged his attorneys.
Anne Bremner, his lead defense attorney, told the News Tribune of Tacoma after the verdict that there had “actual evidence against the state’s case” including body camera footage. “The totality of all that kind of evidence, I think, was convincing as to Ed’s innocence and also, I think, his character.”
Prosecutors had accused Troyer of lying when he placed a call to an emergency dispatcher shortly after 2 a.m. Jan. 27, 2021, stating four times that newspaper delivery driver Sedrick Altheimer was threatening to kill him.
The call triggered a massive countywide police response, with more than 40 officers speeding toward the scene. Most were called off after Tacoma police arrived.
Yet Troyer told Tacoma police he was not threatened by Altheimer, according to an incident report and testimony by Officer Chad Lawless, who said he specifically asked Troyer twice about threats.
Troyer disputed Lawless’ account, testifying that he’d never retracted his threat claims but merely stated he “wasn’t worried” about Altheimer once officers explained he was a newspaper carrier.
Throughout the trial, Troyer and his defense team had waged both a legal and public-relations battle, arguing he was the victim of the media, anti-police bias and a political prosecution by Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office.
Bremner in her closing arguments Tuesday called the prosecution of Troyer a “huge waste of resources.”
Ferguson, in a statement after the verdict was announced, said: “Part of upholding the rule of law is respecting the decision of a jury. I appreciate the jury’s service, and thank my team for their hard work.”
Troyer bore his own legal costs for the criminal prosecution and trial that lasted more than a week. The Pierce County rejected his request for the county to pay his costs.
The incident in question began when Troyer, driving his unmarked personal SUV, started following Altheimer, saying he’d seen him driving suspiciously near his home.
Altheimer testified he approached Troyer’s SUV between deliveries and asked if he was following him because he was Black and if he was a cop. He said Troyer never identified himself but accused Altheimer of being a “porch pirate.”
After driving off, Altheimer said Troyer followed him again. The two wound up in a standoff, facing one another in their vehicles on a quiet Tacoma street. That’s when Troyer called in the emergency response, leading to Altheimer getting detained and frisked for weapons.
Altheimer denied ever threatening Troyer, but Troyer maintained that the newspaper carrier had been angry, wanted to fight, and yelled he would “take me out.”
Altheimer has filed a civil lawsuit against Pierce County and Troyer, seeking at least $5 million in damages. That case had been on hold pending the outcome of the criminal trial. An attorney for Altheimer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Troyer, a nearly four-decade law enforcement veteran, was elected Pierce County sheriff in 2020.
Both charges against Troyer are gross misdemeanors carrying a standard sentencing range of up to 364 days in jail and up to a $5,000 fine on each count.
In addition to the criminal case, Troyer has faced blowback and criticism, including calls for his resignation, over his conduct in the Altheimer incident.
An investigation led by former U.S. Attorney Brian Moran, commissioned last year by the Pierce County Council, found Troyer had violated policies on bias-free policing and other professional standards. Moran’s report, released in October 2021, noted that Troyer had given shifting statements about the encounter to media, his neighbors, and police.
That same month, Troyer was added to Pierce County’s “Brady list” of law enforcement witnesses with credibility problems.
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