Pierce County, Washington, Sheriff Ed Troyer was found innocent of all charges including making false statements in Pierce County Court yesterday in the case involving a black newspaper delivery person named Cedrick Altheimer from Tacoma, Washington.
Altheimer was driving a car with his lights off in and out of driveways delivering newspapers at about 1 am when Troyer’s wife asked him to investigate what she thought was suspicious activity due to recent thefts in the neighborhood. Troyer got in his car and started following him at which time Altheimer got agitated and started yelling that he was following him just because he was black and said ‘I’m going to take you out!’ Troyer said that he couldn’t see that Altheimer was black until he came up and confronted him in his car. Altheimer then got back in his vehicle and blocked him off in his driveway at which time Troyer called in to a non emergency number at the police station and stated he had been threatened. Police were dispatched and Troyer said the situation was under control. However the local media blew it up into a case of racial profiling before there was a chance to review the relevant facts which are that Troyer didn’t know Altheimer was black when he started following him, that he has no record of discrimination are charges thereof as a police officer, and that his own wife who supports him fully is black, all of which belies the accusation that hike is a racist. Against another example of juries ignoring media bias we highlight in our book Justice in the Age of Judgment the Battle for Due Process in the Digital Age.
Governor Jay Inslee asked the Attorney General to bring charges based on biased media reports. I’ve been kind of obsessed by this case cuz I thought how dumb is this? I mean it defies any logic of common sense that this would even go to trial. I mean prosecution for lying? If I say I weigh 210 instead of 220 does that mean I have to go to jail? And now there is a civil trial for $5M for emotional distress resulting from cops arriving after Cedrick threatened Troyer. I mean ‘take you out’ implies they want to kill you right? Personally I hope he loses his stupid law suit, although that’s just my personal opinion.
Shazam!
