The first witnesses took the stand Thursday in the criminal trial of Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer.  Troyer faces two misdemeanor charges after he allegedly claimed on an officer line to 911 dispatch that a Black newspaper carrier threatened to kill him in January 2021. He retracted those statements when police arrived. Former Tacoma Police Officer Corey Ventura, who now works as an officer in Southlake, Texas, was the first witness to testify for the state. Ventura and his partner Chad Lawless were the first unit to respond to the scene. Ventura answered questions from both prosecuting attorneys and Troyer's lawyers about what he witnessed when he responded to the call. On Jan. 27, 2021, Troyer called 911 on a line used by law enforcement to gather routine information and requests and said that he “caught” newspaper carrier Sedrick Altheimer in his driveway and “he just threatened to kill me,” according to probable cause documents.  Ventura testified that initially, he was responding to a high-priority call. When he arrived, he saw Altheimer and Troyer's vehicles facing each other. Ventura spoke with Altheimer, which was recorded on Ventura’s body camera footage and played for jurors. Ventura said that Altheimer was agitated and he tried to calm him down. Ventura said he determined that, after examining the scene, the call did not warrant high-priority status. After a recess for lunch, court reconvened, and SouthSound 911 dispatcher Conan Shadel was called. READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/tacoma/pierce-county-sheriff-ed-troyer-trial-first-witnesses-testify/281-7d47f7b7-d01e-47fc-a288-033f74d0d376