Troyers much anticipated testimony came in the second week of his trial on two misdemeanor criminal charges involving false reporting filed by Attorney General Bob Fergusons office in October 2021. Altheimer claims Troyer has approached him on several occasions since the initial incident in January, in spite of an antiharassment order. Our independent, nonprofit newsroom produces award-winning stories, podcasts and events. Search for suspected coffee shop cop killer Maurice Clemmons widens from www.nydailynews.com. She also has a speech impediment. Last summer, the council voted down a proposed ballot measure to put the question to voters of whether to turn the sheriff's position into an appointed one. Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer must post $100,000 bail after violating a court order barring contact with a newspaper carrier following their high-profile . Richard's personal network of family, friends, associates & neighbors include Chad Troyer, Richard Troyer, Karen Fidler, Trina Allberry and Jill Witmer. Jan 2022 - Sep 20229 months. Subscribe to get our monthly eBlast delivered to your email with featured articles from the latest issue. Required fields are marked *. He says he plans to remain in office, and, as of now, there's nothing that can be done to prevent that. Come one, come all! Bremner said Troyer was targeted because of political bias amid ongoing massive national protests and a defund the police movement that followed the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in 2020. The defense spent a lot of time attacking the character of Altheimer, saying that he was looking for a confrontation that night and, if he had just identified himself as a newspaper carrier, that none of this would have happened. I can't speak to the jury's deliberations. Altheimer was released to finish his route about a half hour after officers arrived, the release said. The prosecutions case relies in large part on a police incident report written by Tacoma police Officer Chad Lawless, who was among the first officers to respond last January, after Troyer called an emergency dispatcher and said Altheimer was threatening to kill him, triggering a massive police response. Were still trying to figure that out, how that happened. Troyer said police get a lot of threats and shrug most of them off. The Tacoma police report on his confrontation with Altheimer was written as informational, with no one listed as a victim or suspect. "There are also, and they really vary by state, processes for suspending or removing sheriffs from office," Littman said. Published in November 2021, the report of the Pierce County Criminal Justice Work Group noted that black residents of Pierce County experienced 5.62 times as much One of his neighbors testified about their "multicultural neighborhood.". Was (sic) being fully transparent, he said in the email. He was mad. Any word from the sheriff this morning? Altheimer testified this week that he never threatened Troyer, saying he merely asked him why he was following him, whether it was because he was Black and whether he was a cop. The unchecked power of the elected sheriff. Troyer also took the stand in his own defense. In the case of the Facebook message, Pastor acknowledged Troyer had sent the message but said it was justified, lawful, and proper., In his letter to Michael Ames, who complained about Troyer misusing his county vehicle, Pastor said the investigation proved the acts complained of did not occur., Pastor wrote that while leaving a patrol car overnight at a bar doesnt violate department policies, it is not the public impression I expect from employees of the Pierce County Sheriffs Department., Pastor closed both letters the same: The Pierce County Sheriffs Department takes seriously all allegations of misconduct by our employees.. Police said they were forwarding the case on to the prosecutors office. So, we'll just have to wait and see what happens. Rantz said that the claim against Troyer is that he racially profiled a driver, who he . We were already in her car, which is standard for us, he wrote in his email. Ted S. Warren / Associated Press, After two years of isolation, Point Roberts is open for business sort of, Hear it again: Congress looks to fix supply chain kinks, including in the Northwest. Last week, a judge ordered Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer to stay 1,000 feet away from a local Black newspaper carrier. Troyer is still the Pierce County sheriff. Donate. KIRO 7 News Staff. But he said, No matter how long Ive been on the law enforcement side of it, its nothing like being on the parents side. In an interview with an investigator, the man said he felt threatened by Troyer's response. A jury has found Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer not guilty, KNKX reporter Kari Plog has been following the case, Tacoma pastor calls Pierce County Sheriffs acquittal troubling but not surprising'. In this Feb. 18, 2020, file photo, then-Pierce County Sheriff's Dept. As Libby Denkman and Sarah Leibovitz point out in an article published on KUOWs website in June, Troyer cant be firedonly voters can remove him from office: The sheriff is still elected. Inslee, and AG Bob Ferguson after he was acquitted Wednesday. TACOMA, Wash. - A jury has reached a verdict in the trial against Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer, determining he is not . Troyer complained Lawless didnt tell him that night he was writing a report about the incident and didnt follow up with him. I do not remember of (sic) any other times., A summary review of the complaint from Chief Nick Hausner, one of the members of the command staff who was tasked with recommending a finding in the investigation, noted that Troyer was in a unique position as PIO: Detective Troyer is basically on call 24 hours a day. Troyer has denied wrongdoing. Troyers defense team on Thursday also sought to garner sympathy with the six-member jury by going over his lengthy career, charity work and his diverse extended family efforts that drew objections from at-times exasperated prosecutors. And with two years left in his term, Troyer has plenty of time to prepare for a re-election campaign. And is it because Im black?. Troyer was charged by the Attorney Generals Office in October 2021. This isnt the only legal trouble Troyer is facing. Eventually, the newspaper carrier stopped his car and Troyer called the 911 dispatcher, summoning dozens of responding officers to the scene, the attorney generals office said Wednesday. An audio recording of the call captured Troyer saying he was threatened, but records show he walked that back when questioned by Tacoma police. Pinned Tweet. "It turned my life upside down, but I wasn't about to back down," Troyer said, "That's the . On Tuesday, his daughter went missing and was last seen with a 21-year-old Level 1 registered sex offender. The classification is the lowest level and applied to people, many of them first-time offenders, considered at minimal risk to re-offend. After the viaduct is taken down, we'll be left with a choice: What do we do with one of the most beautiful waterfronts in the country? Troyer said surveillance footage showed the two played games together for about 20 minutes before they left the bowling alley. Within minutes of taking the witness stand, Altheimer told the court he was nervous and began crying. As Sheriff, Im very grateful to the jury for their hard work and for their just verdict. Ed Troyer's Tweets. According to Altheimer, Troyer didnt identify himself as law enforcementbut said his wife was black, and accused Altheimer of being a porch pirate. Right after the confrontation, Troyer called an emergency dispatcher and claimed that Altheimerhad threatened to kill him. Prosecutors said that he should have known, as a former longtime spokesman for the department, that his words would cause the response that it did, which was the highest priority response that exists, wasting resources and putting the public and other officers who responded at risk. After some back and forth with investigators, according to the interview transcript, Troyer said it wouldnt look right., It was not right to put a police car right in front, Troyers transcript reads. Troyer was first hired by the Pierce County Sheriffs Department in 1985. Web ed troyer, in his capacity as the pierce county sheriff's department spokesman, is surrounded by news crews at a crime scene in 2018. Thurston and Pierce Counties still elect their sheriffs. All but two are white, with a Native American man and a Black man. It's easy to be accused of fearmongering regarding crime, but Seattle residents might have good reason to be concerned for their safety. spokesman Det. Troyer was elected in November, against a backdrop of scrutiny for his role in the investigation into the police killing of Manuel Ellis in March 2020. 2023 Bonneville International. Activists also have filed two federal civil rights complaints against the sheriff and asked the FBI to investigate him for color of law violations, which involve an official misusing power. What stood out the most to me, though, was the way that they characterized Sedrick Altheimer, who is Black. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window). You depend on KNKX for trusted, in-depth local news, music by knowledgeable hosts and enlightening NPR programs. As he has before, Troyer said he started following Altheimer that night because he saw a suspicious car outside his house with no knowledge of the race of the driver. The state accused him of falsely telling a 911 dispatcher that a black newspaper carrier, Sedrick Altheimer, threatened to kill him during a confrontation nearly two years ago. It wasnt the other girls fault at all, Troyer stressed. But Troyer is still in office and he says he plans to stay there. Troyer has denied wrongdoing. Over the past month, Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer has amassed misdemeanor criminal charges, increased calls for him to resign, and a scathing report from a former U.S. attorney that found he endangered a civilian's life.. We have Shihpoos that will be looking for their forever homes in a few weeks. Since the incident, Troyer has been placed on a prosecutors list of officers with credibility issues and a former U.S. attorneys investigation found his conduct violated bias-free policing and professional standards. Jul 2016 - Aug 20171 year 2 months. Troyer, as the spokesman for the department that was initially in charge of investigating the case, shared details early on that have since been contradicted by charging documents released by the state Attorney Generals Office. Remind us what this was all about. Im just saying this is the least amount of information Ive ever seen on a police report with my name on it, Troyer said. Emanuel E. Troyer. CNNs Melissa Alonso and Jennifer Henderson contributed to this report. Altheimer, then 24, was driving his regular delivery route Jan. 27 when Troyer started following him in his personal SUV. It came politically from the Attorney Generals office and the governor, Bremner argued. A jury of six plus four alternates was selected for the case. . 3 Washington state officers face arraignment in Black man's restraint death Following a verbal exchange with the delivery driver, Sedrick Altheimer, at around 2 a.m. on January 27, 2021, Troyer called a 911 officer line and told the dispatcher that the driver knows who I am and he threatened to kill me, prompting more than 40 law enforcement officers to respond to the scene, according to the Washington State Attorney Generals Office. The jury has reached a verdict in the criminal trial of Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer: Not guilty on both counts. Troyer also faces a federal lawsuit filed by Altheimer, but that case remains on hold until the criminal case is decided. The case is still being investigated, but Troyer has been charged for false reporting and making a false or misleading statement to a public servant. It gives me a way bigger appreciation for victims and parents that have kids that have gotten themselves into trouble, turmoil or a bad accident.. . Are you following me? (Ted S. Warren/AP) Washington state legislators passed a dozen new laws this year aimed at holding police officers accountable. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File), Credit: But she said, he doesnt take advice very well.. 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Hostages to the future Thoughts on the Theme December 2022. spokesman Ed Troyer talks to reporters, Tuesday, March 13, 2018, in front of the home in Spanaway, Wash., where authorities say a member of the U.S. Air Force, who . "However, Troyer's family said the girl with a speech impediment and the mental capacity of a 9-year-old was vulnerable. We depend on members for more than half of our financial support. Ed Troyer . By, Three Tacoma police officers have been charged with felonies, own criminal investigation from the state, off-duty encounter with a Black newspaper carrier, Troyer was at home in Tacoma when he followed the man, The county settled with the family for $750,000, Amazon pauses construction in Virginia on its second headquarters, Dam owner guilty in field turf pollution of Puyallup River, First auction held for licenses to pollute in Washington, Help the kelp! Northwest groups try to aid struggling kelp forests, Biden and House Democrats chart a 2024 course based on their legislative track record, Tom Sizemore, 'Saving Private Ryan' actor, has died at 61, Barbara Bryant, the first woman to head the U.S. census, has died at 96, Scientists find signs of horse riding in ancient human remains, Pierce County officials concerned, want answers about sheriff's treatment of Black newspaper carrier, State attorney general launches criminal investigation into Pierce Sheriff Ed Troyer, Newspaper carrier files $5 million claim against Pierce County after Troyer confrontation. Months before Troyer was counseled about driving his county-issued vehicle to the bar, he was investigated for sending a private Facebook message to a civilian. And that's not the only way people are considering changing the position. So, the pool that they pulled from, which was a very large pool because of how high-profile this case was, was mostly white. The media made me out to be a racist and the AGs office made me out to be a liar. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Emily Lardner is a longtime member of the WIP Publishing Committee. Dan Voelpel of Tacoma Public Schools said Troyer was supposed to receive a ride home from a friend at school. [Briana] ended up talking to a guy who was 21 years old, who Im guessing, picked up pretty quick that this is an easy target.. They also said that guns were never pointed at him, which is technically true, though multiple guns were drawn at the scene. The complainants cousin was Ron Hillstrom, a man with a history of severe mental illness who died after Pierce County Sheriffs deputies beat him in 2014. Jared Brown, the News Tribune's criminal legal accountability reporter, says that call was later canceled when officers realized there was no emergency. So, it'll be interesting to see if he runs for election again. I expect you to avoid behavior which could be interpreted by citizens as improper even when it is not, Pastor wrote. He became emotional when explaining to state prosecutors he had previously dealt with residents and police stopping and questioning him while delivering newspapers. She missed her ride home. , New Jersey woman blows up house, killing herself and her cats, rather than comply with eviction, House Republicans rip OBGYN group's 'outrageous' decision to cancel pro-life doctors, Michigan mom rips Biden for laughing off blame for sons' fentanyl deaths: 'How dare you', CPAC crowd eyes Kari Lake, Kristi Noem as top picks for Trump's 2024 running mate, Columbia becomes the first Ivy League school to permanently nix standardized test mandate, Big Tech minions could compromise Americas Intelligence community, Nation annihilator: Biden finds partisan comedy in deaths of innocent Americans, Woody Harrelson proves media has learned nothing about COVID-19 in last three years, Teachers unions care more about power than quality of education, Terms of Use / Privacy Policy / Manage Newsletters, LISTEN: Asking good questions isnt anti-revival. The sum of our collective actions as humans acts as another force of nature, influencing the big physical systems that police accountability took a hit . The complaint says that Altheimer was the victim of unnecessary use-of-force and racial profiling, that he was wrongfully detained and that his only crime was being Black in a white neighborhood. Fergusons team filed charges in October 2021. PIO Troyer is probably the most publicly recognizable face of the Pierce County Sheriffs department and definitely knows this type of behavior violates department policy and can destroy the trust of the citizens of Pierce County in their Sheriffs Department, Ames wrote in his complaint. He drank two cocktails before the tab was closed around midnight. Pierce County Sheriff's Dept. Kari Plog is an award-winning reporter covering the South Sound, including Pierce, Thurston and Kitsap counties. That means a sheriff in King County can be fired. Following both internal affairs investigations, then-Sheriff Pastor sent letters to the complainants about the findings. Dennis Troyer. Asked by defense attorney Anne Bremner whether he had made a false report to police the night of his Jan. 27, 2021 confrontation with newspaper carrier Sedrick Altheimer, Troyer replied: No, I did not.. Most of the jury was white, though, and all of them were men. Troyer, who has worked for the sheriffs office for decades in Washingtons second-most populous county, pleaded not guilty to false reporting and making a false or misleading statement to a civil servant for claiming to an emergency dispatcher that the newspaper carrier was threatening to kill him.

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