In a world where Black men are 2.5 times more likely to be killed and “especially” likely to be incarcerated when compared to their white counterparts, a Washington state county sheriff has been charged for falsely accusing a newspaper carrier of threatening to kill him. 

NBC News’ Char Adams reports that a local Black Lives Matter chapter is calling for the resignation of Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer, 59, who is charged with one count of false reporting and one count of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant, following a Jan. 27 incident. 

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An off-duty Troyer was reportedly driving his personal vehicle as he followed Sedrick Altheimer, a 24-year-old Black newspaper carrier, through many stops on his route around 2 a.m. that day. Troyer failed to identify himself as a law enforcement officer when confronted by the victim. 

Troyer’s initial accusations of Altheimer being a thief and a “porch pirate” prompted at least 40 officers to rush his car and tell him to keep his hands on the steering wheel. 

“What he did was malicious,” said Sakara Remmu, the lead strategist for the alliance, per Adams. “It’s clear: This sheriff was trying to get an innocent man killed. This is basically a case of swatting, where you are intentionally calling the police and lying, saying that your life is under threat so that the police respond ready to use excessive or deadly force.” 

Officers on the scene confirmed that Altheimer was a newspaper courier on his route and that no crime had been committed. 

Remmu said the organization also intends to ask for Troyer’s name to be placed in the county’s “Brady List” of police whose integrity has been questioned due to misconduct, criminal convictions and untruthfulness. 

Action For Accountability has also started a petition to the Pierce County Council requesting Troyer’s resignation. According to the petition, “He does not have the confidence of many people in Pierce County to do his job in a fair, impartial manner.” 

Troyer has since pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to King 5 News. He could be barred from office if convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor involving official wrongdoing. 

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