TACOMA, Wash. — Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer was ordered to post $100,000 bail after Kitsap County Judge Jefferey Jahns determined he violated the condition of release in connection to two criminal charges.
During a hearing Friday, Jahns said the court did not trust Troyer to adhere to the condition of release in the future. He also said he has concerns for the safety of Sedrick Altheimer, a Black newspaper carrier suing Troyer and Pierce County over a confrontation in January 2021.
The state Attorney General's office filed the motion to revoke Troyer's condition of release in June, during which time it was argued the sheriff did not keep his distance from Altheimer. The Attorney General's office argued that Troyer violated his terms of release following allegations that the sheriff followed Altheimer on several occasions while he was driving his paper route and flashing his lights. The motion came after an anti-harassment order against Troyer was filed and upheld.
During the hearing, Troyer's attorney John Sheeran said the judge was trying to humiliate the sheriff by having him arrested if he didn't post bail.
In a statement, Sheeran says that despite the Attorney General's office asking the court to impose $10,000 bail, "which itself was unwarranted, the court unreasonably imposed $100,000."
According to Sheeran, the only time since January 2021 that Troyer has interacted with Altheimer was in April 2022 when Troyer was checking on his father in the "early hours one morning."
"Sheriff Troyer was parked outside his father’s residence when Mr. Altheimer pulled up to deliver a newspaper. Sheriff Troyer did not know who was approaching his father’s house and explained that it was his childhood home and his father’s house. As Mr. Altheimer was walking back to his car he identified himself to the Sheriff. The interaction was brief and non-confrontational," the statement reads.
Under the new conditions of release, Troyer must strictly adhere to an anti-harassment order filed on behalf of Altheimer. Additionally, Troyer or a third party cannot keep Altheimer under surveillance.
Troyer, who has pleaded not guilty, faces a charge of false reporting and a charge of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant following the Jan. 27, 2021 incident.
Troyer called a department line used by law enforcement to gather routine information and requests and said multiple times that Altheimer threatened to kill him, according to probable cause documents.
Troyer was formally charged by the Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson's office following a months-long investigation.
During Ferguson's investigation, officers said Troyer told them Altheimer did not make any threats and he did not observe any weapons on him once they arrived at the scene.
The criminal case against Troyer begins Oct. 31.