Group that taught people to evade vaccine mandate is raising cash for Troyer’s legal fees

A crowd-funding campaign is raising money to pay for Sheriff Ed Troyer’s legal defense against misdemeanor criminal charges connected to his confrontation with a Black newspaper carrier last year.

The Gig Harbor organization responsible for the campaign, One Washington, held workshops last summer to teach people how to file for religious exemptions to the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Troyer said he was unaware of One Washington’s other efforts when he agreed to the campaign.

One Washington is listed as a nonprofit through the state’s business registry. It has ties to a Gig Harbor church. The listed location for the nonprofit is the same address as Harborview Fellowship Church. The Christian non-denominational church’s website has a One Washington tab.

Troyer said the organization approached him months ago about a donation page, and he said yes but has not heard anything else.

“I was not part of it. Different groups, including radio talk hosts, elected politicians, churches and citizens, formed the campaign,” he said. “My family and I appreciate the support. My family and friends have had to go through lots of adversity through this.”

Troyer has pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor charges brought by the state Attorney General’s Office: one count of false reporting and one count of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant for telling the 911 operator the newspaper carrier threatened him.

The charges stem from an investigation into the Jan. 27, 2021 confrontation.

In January 2021, Troyer followed Sedrick Altheimer as he delivered newspapers about 2 a.m. in Troyer’s Tacoma neighborhood. Troyer said he saw a car driving in and out of neighboring driveways and became suspicious. He got in his personal vehicle without his badge or service weapon. Troyer has said he went to record a license plate of the car he believed to be suspicious.

Altheimer eventually stopped and asked Troyer what he was doing. Troyer allegedly accused him of being a thief, asked him a series of questions and followed Altheimer again when he tried to drive away, according to the charging documents.

Troyer called 911 and asked dispatchers to send a patrol car or two to the scene. He told dispatchers at least three times in the nearly five-minute call that he was threatened by Altheimer.

The emergency call by the sheriff triggered an “officer in trouble” response, and more than 40 law enforcement officers headed to the scene before nearly all were called off once Tacoma officers arrived.

Altheimer denies threatening Troyer. A Tacoma police officer wrote in a report the sheriff told him Altheimer never made threats. Troyer later told The News Tribune that Tacoma police misunderstood him when he said he didn’t want anything done about the carrier’s alleged threat.

Troyer has repeatedly said he did not racially profile Altheimer.

One Washington provided a statement on the fundraising campaign, slamming the Pierce County Council for refusing to pay for Troyer’s legal fees in the criminal case.

“We fully support our first responders. Sheriff Troyer, like everyone, deserves to have due process and adequate representation. For the County Council to shirk their responsibility for political posturing is a dangerous trend,” the organization said in an email. “Let this play out in the court of law with transparency, instead of artificially placing a finger on the scales.”

Troyer said he has spent more than $15,000 of his own money on his defense. As of Feb. 9, the campaign had raised $1,550.

“Sheriff Troyer didn’t shoot anyone; he didn’t put hands on anyone; Troyer didn’t arrest anyone,” the donation webpage said. “Sheriff Troyer called the police on a suspicious vehicle.”

One Washington’s website said the organization focuses on education, law enforcement, social justice and the constitution. The group organized workshops across the state providing attendees advice and tips on filing for religious exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for state employees.

The workshops were held in churches across the state, including Puyallup’s Experience Church and Gig Harbor’s Harborview Fellowship Church. The company’s listed founder, Tom Jonez, previously told The News Tribune the organization’s workshops were not political, but educational.

The sheriff told The News Tribune he was not aware or involved with One Washington prior to the crowdfunding campaign.

“Many people have reached out daily to support me and other law enforcement officers. This support has been both humbling and appreciated,” he said in an email. “This ordeal has been taxing for my family and I look forward to being vindicated at trial.”

A lead pastor at Experience Church, Dennis Cummins, interviewed Troyer for a video published on YouTube.

Among other topics, Troyer called last year’s state laws on probable cause and use of force and Seattle’s reduction of the police department’s budget “over-correcting.” The state Legislature passed two bills last year limiting police use of force, including neck restraints, and instances officers can engage in vehicle pursuits and use tear gas.

“We’ve got to find the middle ground and work it out amongst us all, what’s going to work, how we’re going to get services and how we’re going to fix some of the laws that have just messed everything up,” Troyer said in the YouTube video.

He did not talk about the Jan. 27 incident.

In addition to the state’s investigation, the incident with Altheimer prompted a fact-finding investigation by the County Council. The independent investigation concluded in October that the sheriff broke four department policies on conduct, community engagement, bias and off-duty intervention.

Troyer’s trial date is scheduled for July 11. If convicted, the standard sentencing range for both offenses is up to 364 days in jail and up to a $5,000 fine.