Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer takes stand in his own criminal trial

All eyes were on Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer on Thursday, as he took the stand in his own criminal trial. Troyer is accused of falsely reporting a Black newspaper carrier threatened to kill him.

According to Sheriff Troyer on the morning of Jan. 27, 2021, he heard a loud noise outside his Tacoma home, prompting him to look out the window.

“I looked down and saw a car without headlights on,” said Troyer. “Going in and out of neighbors driveways.”

After watching for a bit, Troyer says he decided to follow the suspicious looking car. After tailing it for a few blocks, Sedrick Altheimer pulled over, got out of the car and a confrontation ensued.

“He was screaming at me, I heard words like, ‘I’ll take you out,’” said Troyer. “He puts his hands on the car and he was just swinging at me.”

Troyer claims at no point did Altheimer identify himself as a newspaper carrier.

“Why didn’t he tell me he was a newspaper carrier?” said Troyer. “He had plenty of chances to do it.”

During his testimony on Tuesday, Altheimer did admit he never identified himself as a newspaper carrier.

However, he vehemently defends he never made a single threat toward Sheriff Troyer.

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