TACOMA, Wash. — Jury selection for the trial of Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer was delayed Monday after Troyer's attorneys claimed he tested positive for COVID-19.
This unfolded as a trial got underway, months after Troyer was charged with two misdemeanors over a confrontation he allegedly initiated with a Black newspaper carrier in January 2021.
Anne Bremner, Troyer's lawyer, said Troyer took two rapid tests Monday, and one showed a faint line for COVID-19 positivity.
The defense asked for a delay until Troyer recovered, saying he has a right to be present for jury selection, while the state argued the court should stay on schedule and asked the judge to order Troyer to take a PCR test to confirm the results.
The attorney general's office also questioned the validity of the positive COVID-19 test after hearing from the nurse who administered the test and said the second test contradicted the first. Pierce County Jail nurse Angela Valencia said she administered the second test about 10 minutes after the first one to clarify the results of the initial test, which was positive. The second test came back negative.
The judge sided with the defense that Troyer had a right to be present but also ordered a PCR test.
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson charged Troyer in October 2021 with one count of false reporting and one count of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant. Troyer has pleaded not guilty.
In January 2021, Troyer allegedly called an officer line to 911 dispatch claiming the newspaper carrier, Sedrick Altheimer, threatened to kill him, causing more than 40 officers to initially rush to his location. When police arrived on scene, Troyer walked those statements back.