The Troyer trial has begun: Today So Far

The trial for Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer began this week and we got a first glance at how things are going to play out in court.

This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for December 2, 2022.

The Troyer trial is on. So far, it's been filled with testimony about hostile newspaper throwing and "freaking douchebag" text messages.

After a brief delay (Troyer was sick), the court has selected its jury and opening statements were made this week. If you haven't tuned into this story so far, here's the basics. I'll try to be as brief as possible.

Ed Troyer was elected to be Pierce County Sheriff in 2020. In 2021, Troyer was following a newspaper carrier, Sedrick Altheimer, as he was driving his early morning route through Troyer's neighborhood. This led to a confrontation. Troyer alleged that Altheimer was a porch pirate. Altheimer argued that he was being racially profiled. Troyer was not on duty at the time. Generally, an elected sheriff doesn't go patrolling.

As the two had a confrontation, Troyer called dispatchers to report that Altheimer made threats against his life. It prompted dozens of officers to respond to the scene. Officers then reported that Troyer's statements didn't exactly match what he said on the phone; now he was saying that Altheimer didn't threaten his life. An investigation was launched by the county which found Troyer violated policies. Another investigation by the state Attorney General's Office resulted in two charges: false reporting and making a false or misleading statement to a public servant. Troyer is now on the Brady list. If you don't know what that is, follow the link for more info.

In the weeks that followed the incident, Troyer also faced calls for his resignation. In a statement to KUOW, he said that would not happen, arguing, “I’m being called a racist, not true. Resigning would add credibility to that claim.”

That brings us to the current trial that started this week. In just a couple days, we've gotten a first glance at how things are going to play out in court. The AG's Office opened by leaning into the gap between what Troyer said on the phone and what officers reported he stated to them. The AG's Office aims to prove Troyer lied.

Troyer's attorney, Anne Bremner, essentially opened by saying that the true account of what happened is not fully known, and she intends to reveal that full story. Bremner has noted that Troyer called a non-emergency phoneline, and said that some officers' credibility will be questioned, as well as Altheimer's.

Some of those officers spoke yesterday in court, revealing that they responded a second time to Troyer's house that morning. Sometime after the initial incident, an officer was dispatched to Troyer's home after someone "maliciously" threw a newspaper at it (Troyer doesn't subscribe to any newspapers). The newspaper was in the driveway, showing no signs of malice, so the officers drove away.

It's not exactly clear how this fits into the legal narrative, but for some reason, the defense really wanted it on the record that an officer called Troyer a "freaking douchebag." Defense attorneys got a text message thread that included the statement from Officer Aaron Baran. Baran said in court that it was a joke that wasn't meant to be public and that he was expressing “a level of frustration with how high profile this incident is.”

Read more here.

AS SEEN ON KUOW

Rico, a 4-month-old puppy, receives treats and vaccinations on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, at New Horizons Shelter on 3rd Avenue in Seattle. When people experiencing homelessness need to go into residential treatment for drug or alcohol addiction, finding a place for their pet to stay can be a big barrier. (Megan Farmer / KUOW)

DID YOU KNOW?: Anne Bremner

Attorney Anne Bremner is representing Sheriff Ed Troyer in his current trial. She's a Seattle-area lawyer that has carved out a celebrity legal niche for herself. If Bremner's name doesn't sound familiar, and you haven't seen her on cable news giving legal analysis, then some of the names of her high profile clients might. She represented the family of Susan Powell, who went missing in 2009, and whose husband made headlines, locally, in the years after. She has also represented author Ann Rule. She was a spokesperson and counsel for the family of Amanda Knox. And she represented celebrity illusionist David Copperfield.

Bremner has also frequently defended local law enforcement and fire departments. For example, she defended Des Moines police in a case that sprouted from the Mary Kay Letourneau scandal. "High profile" is a brand of lawyering that Bremner specializes in, and she is familiar with law enforcement cases. So it's perhaps no surprise that her name has shown up around the Troyer trial.

ALSO ON OUR MINDS

Putin turns down Biden talks and defends Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy grid

The Kremlin dismissed the idea of talks with President Biden to end the war in Ukraine on Friday, and defended its repeated attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure as "inevitable."

SUBSCRIBE TO TODAY SO FAR