TACOMA, Wash. – The Pierce County Sheriff is facing criminal charges after he made false accusations about an incident earlier this year.
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a statement that two misdemeanor charges have been filed against Sheriff Ed Troyer.
Troyer was off duty when he began following a Black newspaper deliveryman through a Tacoma neighborhood on January 27th.
The deliveryman, Sedrick Altheimer, noticed Troyer following him in his unmarked personal vehicle.
Altheimer stopped and confronted Troyer, who did not identify himself as a law enforcement officer.
Troyer then called for backup, claiming that Altheimer threatened to kill him and blocked him in with his car.
Several officers arrived at the scene and determined that there was no active threat against Sheriff Troyer.
Troyer now faces charges for making false statements and falsely reporting a crime.