AG s Office to investigate Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer at Inslee s request
Published
Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer (submitted photo)
OLYMPIA, Wash. - The state Attorney General s office will open a criminal investigation into Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer over his January 911 call accusing a Black newspaper delivery driver of threatening to kill him.
The investigation comes at the direction of Gov. Jay Inslee, Inslee s office said in a news release Friday afternoon. The initial reports of these events were very concerning to me, and I had hoped to see some action taken to initiate a criminal investigation at the local level. But, to my knowledge, that has not happened almost three months after the incident, Inslee said. So now the state is stepping in.
State Attorney General to investigate Pierce County Sheriff for potential criminal violations
Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer. (KIRO 7)
Gov. Jay Inslee announced Friday that he has formally directed state Attorney General Bob Ferguson to open an investigation into Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer, stemming from a late-January incident where Troyer called the police on a Black newspaper delivery driver.
The incident in question was first reported on by the Seattle Times, describing how Troyer had reported seeing a car moving in and out of a neighbor’s driveway at 2 a.m. with its headlights off. He then confronted the driver, identified as 24-year-old Sedrick Altheimer, before making a call to dispatch that had an estimated 42 units from around the region to the scene.
April 23, 2021
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Gov. Jay Inslee directed Attorney General Bob Ferguson today to investigate Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer for potential criminal violations in late January when the sheriff called 911 and claimed that a black man in his neighborhood had threatened to kill him. This action is taken pursuant to RCW 43.10.230 and .232, which authorizes the governor to grant the attorney general concurrent authority and power with local prosecuting authorities.
In a letter sent to John Hillman, of the Criminal Justice Division in the Office of the Attorney General, Inslee references Tacoma Police Incident No. 2102700104; Investigation of False Reporting (RCW 9A.84.040) and/or other criminal violations of the Revised Code of Washington occurring on or about January 27, 2021 by Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer.
State BLM group calls on FBI to open investigation into Pierce County Sheriff
Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer. (KIRO Radio/Jeff Pohjola)
The Washington Black Lives Matter Alliance (WBLMA) issued a letter to the FBI’s Seattle office this week, calling on the department to open an investigation into Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer over a January incident where he called the police on a Black newspaper delivery driver.
The WBLMA outlined a list of allegations in its petition to the FBI, including that Troyer “abused his authority,” violated the civil rights of a private citizen “engaged in lawful acts,” obstructed justice, and flouted the Fourth Amendment guarantee against unreasonable searches and seizures.
Former US Attorney Brian Moran to investigate Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer KING 5 Staff
Replay Video
Editor s note: The video above aired April 6, following calls for Sheriff Troyer s resignation.
Former U.S. Attorney Brian Moran will lead an independent investigation into recent actions by Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer, according to the Pierce County Council.
Troyer is under fire for calling 911 dispatch on Jan. 27 to report a Black newspaper carrier in his neighborhood “threatened to kill him.” It s a statement he later retracted when speaking with the Tacoma Police Department.
The call led to more than 40 officers from multiple agencies rushing to the neighborhood.