Prosecutors and defense lawyers made their closing arguments Tuesday in the criminal trial of Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer, clashing over whether he’s a “great man” wrongfully accused, or a liar whose false claims of death threats “weaponized” a massive police response against a Black newspaper carrier.
A six-member Pierce County District Court jury will begin deliberations Wednesday, deciding whether or not to convict Troyer on false-reporting charges stemming from his confrontation last January with newspaper delivery driver Sedrick Altheimer.
Troyer, who is white, has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of false reporting and making a false or misleading report to a public servant. Throughout his trial, his defense team has argued he is the victim of an anti-police political prosecution and emphasized his long career, his family and charity work.
In her closing argument Tuesday, Assistant Attorney General Melanie Tratnik, the lead prosecutor in the case, urged jurors to look past the defense effort to lean on Troyer’s reputation, and look at the evidence.
Tratnik pointed to Troyer’s call to an emergency dispatcher at around 2 a.m. on Jan. 27, 2021, during which he stated four times that Altheimer was threatening to kill him — only to retract that claim when questioned by Tacoma police, according to an incident report and police testimony at the trial.
“That statement was a lie. And not just any lie, but a lie that caused over 40 law enforcement officers to rush...
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