TACOMA, Wash. — Jury selection in the trial of Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer has been delayed after Troyer came down with a case of the flu.
His attorney said Troyer had tested positive for COVID on Monday.
The nurse who administered Troyer’s two COVID tests took the stand Monday, telling the court that the sheriff’s first test was positive and the second was negative.
The judge ordered Troyer to take a PCR test. The test came back negative for COVID, but Troyer does have the flu, leading the defense to ask that jury selection be delayed until Monday.
However, the prosecution cited concerns over the lack of flexibility in the trial schedule, due to such issues as witnesses being flown in on specific dates and lawyers traveling out of the country. The prosecution said if jury selection doesn’t start until Monday, it could set the trial back by weeks or months.
On Tuesday, the court agreed to go through juror hardship requests to get some of the work completed without Troyer present. However, the selection process was delayed until next Monday, Nov. 28, following Thanksgiving weekend.
Troyer is accused of calling 911 to report that Sedrick Altheimer, a Black newspaper carrier, threatened to kill him in January 2021.
He made the call after following Altheimer around the neighborhood in his vehicle. About 40 officers responded to the scene.
Altheimer denied making any threats and Tacoma police say Troyer later walked back his claims once police arrived.
In October 2021, the Washington State attorney general charged Troyer with misdemeanor counts of false reporting and making a false or misleading statement to a public servant.
Since then, Troyer has been accused of violating his no-contact order with Altheimer, which he says led him to quitting his newspaper delivery job.
Troyer has continued to deny any allegations of wrongdoing.
If he is convicted, Troyer could be sentenced to up to 364 days in jail and fined up to $5,000 on each count, according to court documents.
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