(State Attorney General prosecutor, Melanie Tratnik, offers her closing argument as Pierce Co Sheriff, Ed Troyer, observes)
The trial of Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer on charges of false reporting and false statements to a public servant is now in the hands of a jury. Those charges stem from a confrontation Troyer had with black newspaper carrier, Sedric Altheimer, when he followed Altheimer through his neighborhood as he delivered papers in the early morning hours of January 27, 2021.
After the jury was given its final instructions, the attorneys began their closing arguments. Prosecutors from the State Attorney General’s Office reinforced their argument that Troyer lied when he claimed Altheimer threatened him. They say it makes no sense that Altheimer would have interrupted his route to stop and make a threat to kill, especially since he said he recognized Troyer as law enforcement. They also say that despite defense claims Altheimer has a “financial bias” because he also filed a $5-million civil claim against Troyer and the county, they argue Altheimer has endured this and other incidents where he was pulled over by police while he was simply trying to do his job, and that he’s entitled to seek redress.
Troyer’s attorneys maintain that their client did not lie about having been threatened, nor did he recant his story nor deny his claims of the threat. Attorney Anne Bremner says Troyer testified that the media made him out to be a racist, that the AG’s prosecutors made him out to be a liar, and Bremner says neither of those things are true.
The closings came after Troyer’s team made one more attempt to have one of the charges dismissed – a motion denied by Judge Jeffery Jahns, who is a visiting judge from Kitsap County brought over specifically to provide a bench that hasn’t worked regularly with Troyer in his capacity in law enforcement as Pierce County judges have.
The jury was sent home for the day as soon as closing statements were completed. The 6-person panel and alternates will return Wednesday morning to begin their deliberations. Northwest Newsradio will monitor the court and bring you the verdict as soon as it comes in. You can listen to us at AM 1000, 97.7 FM, 101.5 FM Channel HD 2, streaming live on the free TuneIn Radio app and right here at NWNewsradio.com.
