Jury finds Pierce County Sheriff 'not guilty'

Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer was found not guilty Wednesday on two charges connected to a January 2021 incident involving a Black newspaper carrier.

It took the jury less than a day to make its decision.

Troyer faced one charge of false reporting and one charge of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant after he allegedly claimed on an officer line to 911 dispatch that Sedrick Altheimer, a Black newspaper carrier, threatened to kill him in January 2021. Troyer pleaded not guilty to the charges in October 2021.

The state Attorney General's Office filed the charges against the sheriff after Gov. Jay Inslee referred the case to the office. The Attorney General's Office cannot initiate a criminal investigation unless it receives and accepts a referral from a county prosecutor or governor.

“Part of upholding the rule of law is respecting the decision of a jury,” Attorney General Bob Ferguson said. “I appreciate the jury’s service, and thank my team for their hard work.”

Altheimer's attorney in a separate civil lawsuit, Vonda Sargent, called the verdict "disappointing." Sargent said Troyer made contradictory statements during the incident that should have led toward a guilty verdict. Essentially, she said, the jury said one of the officers who testified during the trial was not trustworthy.

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[dbz]

That's great news, it is a win for the people of Washington

[janetjohnson]

That's a fucn shame they let him go.

[douglasmasone]

This reporter has some type of tick with his hand? Just report the news bro!...leave the hand moves to a conductor of the orchestra!

[ChicagoBeaver]

Reminds me of a Tom Petty song, "You Got Lucky Somehow, " I think.

[Whatsthe_dill]

Those lawyers from pudget law group that those cops have are no joke.

[rhondak]

This jury should be ashamed of it self .

[jaredbrooks]

Love this! Troyer is a tireless law and order officer who's vigilance probably got the best of him that night. His record of conduct is spotless, and that means something (still). What is your credit rating?

[donpost]

Back the blue until it happens to you hopefully came back with a not guilty verdict so we have been

[mikedwyer]

How the jury proved Troyer was not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt was a definite Wow moment with all the evidence presented showing othewise!!! Make a America great again? Is this an example of this?

[TrueWordsRSpoken]

So the incident happened on January 27, 2021 and then the following happens

Darren Steiener owns the newspaper distribution company Altheimer works for. The defense noted that Altheimer had about 4, 000 customer complaints against him from 2021 to Nov. 2022.

There is a mighty convenient coincidence

[shelleyvicklund]

He's guilty, jury Panel of stupid people. I hope one day they'll need justice for themselves or a loved one and get exactly what they gave..karma had a way of coming around. Proof was right there in the audio. So they're either incredibly stupid or racist..