Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer was found not guilty Wednesday on two charges connected to a January 2021 incident involving a Black newspaper carrier. It took the jury less than a day to make its decision. Troyer faced one charge of false reporting and one charge of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant after he allegedly claimed on an officer line to 911 dispatch that Sedrick Altheimer, a Black newspaper carrier, threatened to kill him in January 2021. Troyer pleaded not guilty to the charges in October 2021. The state Attorney General's Office filed the charges against the sheriff after Gov. Jay Inslee referred the case to the office. The Attorney General's Office cannot initiate a criminal investigation unless it receives and accepts a referral from a county prosecutor or governor. “Part of upholding the rule of law is respecting the decision of a jury,” Attorney General Bob Ferguson said. “I appreciate the jury’s service, and thank my team for their hard work.” Altheimer's attorney in a separate civil lawsuit, Vonda Sargent, called the verdict "disappointing." Sargent said Troyer made contradictory statements during the incident that should have led toward a guilty verdict. Essentially, she said, the jury said one of the officers who testified during the trial was not trustworthy. Read the full story here: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/tacoma/ruling-ed-troyer-criminal-trial-pierce-county-sheriff/281-f9809b65-a6b1-4fea-b651-89c42638ae5c