A Kitsap County judge will “oversee the criminal case against Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer, who is charged with two misdemeanors over his confrontation with a Black newspaper carrier,” a Seattle TV station reported on Saturday, November 20, 2021 (story here).
A states investigation (see story here) resulted in Troyer (photo, left) being charged with false reporting and false statements.
Troyer saw a black man, who was only delivering newspapers on his route, in the early morning hours and deemed his activity suspicious. After confronting the man, Troyer called down a law enforcement army on him, claiming the man had threatened him. Troyer later admitted that wasn’t true.
The incident has received widespread publicity because it’s tinged with racial profiling, police misconduct, and bad police treatment of black people. As an elected sheriff, Troyer can’t be fired from his job. In June 2021, the newspaper carrier filed a $5 million tort claim against Pierce County (see story here).