Kitsap County judge to oversee misdemeanor case against Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer
A Kitsap County judge will oversee the misdemeanor criminal case against Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer.
Last month, the Washington State Attorney General’s Office charged Troyer with false reporting and making a false or misleading statement to a public servant.
The charges stem from a Jan. 27 confrontation between the sheriff and a newspaper carrier near Troyer’s Tacoma home.
Presiding Pierce County District Court Judge Jeanette Lineberry requested the case be handled by an out-of-county judge, which Kitsap County commissioners approved earlier this month.
Judge Jeffrey J. Jahns will preside over the case.
Jahns was appointed to the bench in 2009. Before that, he was a deputy prosecutor for 14 years and criminal defense attorney for 14 years. Jahns also authored “The Quest for Justice,” a training manual on prosecutorial ethics and professionalism, in 2008.
Troyer has pleaded not guilty to the charges and repeatedly denied wrongdoing. He is not in custody.
If convicted as charged, the sheriff faces up to a year in jail and up to a $5,000 fine.
Prosecutors allege Troyer lied when he told emergency dispatchers that 24-year-old Sedrick Altheimer, a Black newspaper carrier, repeatedly threatened to kill him during a confrontation that started when Troyer began following Altheimer’s car.
The sheriff said he planned to jot down Altheimer’s license plate number after seeing the car driving up and down neighboring driveways, which he found suspicious. Altheimer told police who responded that night that he was followed because he was Black.
Troyer’s claim that he was threatened triggered a massive police response, starting 42 law enforcement officers to the scene.
Troyer “knew the information was false, and knew the report would likely cause an emergency response,” according to charging papers.
Altheimer has filed a lawsuit against Pierce County and the sheriff.
This story was originally published November 19, 2021 at 1:45 PM.
