Pierce County Faces $5M Legal Claim Over Troyer Incident: Report

PUYALLUP, WA — The newspaper carrier whose run-in with Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer sparked a criminal and civil investigation into the sheriff's conduct has now also filed a legal claim against Pierce County, according to a new report from the Seattle Times.

According to the Times' reporting, attorneys for Sedrick Atheimer filed a tort claim Tuesday claiming that Troyer's confrontational behavior violated Atheimer's constitutional rights and caused him "severe emotional distress". Atheimer is seeking $5 million in damages.

The news is the latest in a series of legal proceedings and investigations all sparked by a Jan. 27 incident, in which Troyer confronted Altheimer as Atheimer ran his regularly-scheduled newspaper delivery route in Tacoma. As the Seattle Times also first reported, that night Troyer told 911 dispatchers that the newspaper delivery driver threatened to kill him, but later recanted that statement when interviewed by Tacoma police following the incident. Atheimer was frisked by officers and his car was searched before he was allowed to continue his route. However, he told the Times he felt he had been racially profiled.

Troyer denies that, and claims he recanted his statement only to avoid putting the driver in further trouble.

After the Times first broke the story, Pierce County Council launched an investigation into Troyer's conduct, contracting Brian Moran, a former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, to review Troyer's conduct from Jan. 1, 2020 through Jan. 27, 2021. The council has also given him reign to review Troyer's actions during his tenure as the Pierce County Sheriff's Department's Public Information Officer, a position he held for 19 years before he was elected sheriff last November.

The county's review only aims to determine if Troyer misused his authority, deviated from standards, or violated a policy or law and to provide recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Meanwhile, Gov. Jay Inslee has ordered the Attorney General's Office to conduct a criminal investigation into Troyer's conduct that night. In a statement announcing that criminal investigation, the governor specifically cites the Jan. 27 incident as potentially violating false reporting laws, among other possible criminal violations.

Troyer has been Pierce County sheriff since last November, when he won the election to replace outgoing Sheriff Paul Pastor. Pastor retired before the election, and Troyer took over when the vote was certified on Nov. 24. His term officially began Jan. 1.

Troyer has consistently denied allegations of racism. When reached for comment on the new tort claim, the Seattle Times reports that Troyer did not specifically address the claim itself, but reiterated that he welcomes all reviews into his conduct.