Sheriff Ed Troyer added to prosecutors’ list of witnesses with credibility issues
Prosecutors decided Friday there is potential impeachment information against Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer and added him to a list of people with credibility issues.
The list is maintained by the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office, which is required to turn over information on Troyer to defense attorneys should he be called as a witness or expert. A judge makes a case-by-case ruling whether that information should be introduced at trial.
A 10-person committee chaired by chief criminal deputy Jim Schacht made the decision at its regularly scheduled meeting. A letter was sent to Troyer informing him of the action and offering him a chance to review his file and respond.
John Sheeran, a Tacoma attorney representing Troyer, said he understands the Prosecutor’s Office has a certain procedure they have to go through.
“We’re disappointed that they reached this conclusion, but we’re confident that when all of the facts come to light, that decision will be reversed,” Sheeran said.
Earlier this month, the Washington State Attorney General’s Office charged Troyer with false reporting and making a false or misleading statement to a public servant. Both charges are misdemeanors, and a conviction could carry a penalty of up to a year in jail and up to a $5,000 fine.
A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf Thursday in Pierce County District Court.
The AG’s Office alleges Troyer lied to an emergency dispatcher when he said Sedrick Altheimer, a 24-year-old Black newspaper carrier, threatened to kill him during a Jan. 27 confrontation near the sheriff’s Tacoma house.
That “officer needs help” call prompted a massive response, starting 42 law enforcement officers to the scene. Fourteen officers and deputies actually responded.
In a recording of Troyer’s conversation with the dispatcher, the sheriff repeatedly says Altheimer threatened him. A Tacoma officer who spoke with Troyer at the scene said the sheriff denied being threatened by the newspaper carrier and said he never saw Altheimer with a weapon.
Troyer has denied wrongdoing and chalked the incident up to a misunderstanding.
He said he followed Altheimer’s car because he found a vehicle driving up and down driveways at 2 a.m. to be suspicious and wanted to jot down the license plate number. After noticing an SUV following him, Altheimer approached Troyer and asked if he was following him because he was Black in a white neighborhood, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
Altheimer filed a lawsuit against Troyer and Pierce County, requesting damages for emotional distress and humiliation.
“Mr. Altheimer has had to make life changing alterations to both his work and his personal life because of the trauma he faced as a result of the stalking and the police detention caused by Sheriff Troyer’s false accusations,” according to the lawsuit. “Mr. Altheimer feared for his life during the police stop and interrogation.”
Days after Troyer was criminally charged, an investigator hired by the County Council released a report saying the sheriff broke four department policies on conduct, community engagement, bias and off-duty intervention.
The position of sheriff is independently elected and the council has no supervisory authority over Troyer, who was elected in November.
There are 111 people currently on the “potential impeachment recurring witness list.” Not all of them are law enforcement officers, and some have retired or moved out of the area.
Prosecutors can remove people from the list if they determine there are no credibility issues.
