Judge finds Pierce County sheriff violated condition of release, imposes $100,000 bail
A Kitsap County judge found that Ed Troyer violated the release condition on two counts he will face in court in October.
TACOMA, Wash. — Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer has been ordered to post $100,000 bail after Kitsap County Judge Jefferey Jahns found he was charged in connection with two criminal charges filed against the violated the terms of release.
During a hearing on Friday, Jahns said the court did not trust Troyer to comply with the release condition in the future. He also said he has concerns about the safety of Sedrick Altheimer, a black newspaper company that is suing Troyer and Pierce County over a January 2021 confrontation.
The attorney general’s office in June filed a motion to have Troyer’s release suspended, arguing that the sheriff had not distanced himself from Altheimer. The attorney general’s office argued that Troyer violated his release after allegations that the sheriff followed Altheimer several times while he was driving his paper route and flashing his lights. The request came after an anti-harassment order was filed against Troyer and upheld.
During the hearing, Troyer’s attorney, John Sheeran, said the judge tried to humiliate the sheriff by having him arrested if he didn’t post bail.
Under the new terms of release, Troyer must strictly comply with a harassment order issued on Altheimer’s behalf. In addition, Troyer or third parties cannot monitor Altheimer.
Troyer, who has pleaded not guilty, faces one charge of false reporting and one charge of making false or misleading statements to an officer following the Jan. 27, 2021 incident.
Troyer called a department line, which law enforcement used to gather routine information and inquiries, and said several times that Altheimer had threatened to kill him, according to documents with probable cause.
Troyer was formally charged by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office after months of investigation.
During Ferguson’s investigation, officers said Troyer told them Altheimer made no threats and that he saw no guns on him when they arrived at the scene.
The criminal case against Troyer begins on October 31.
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https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/tacoma/pierce-county-sheriff-troyer-released-bond/281-5e088138-c5db-4a93-a4ff-f223be3c73c8 Judge finds Pierce County sheriff violated condition of release, imposes $100,000 bail
