OLYMPIA, Wash. — Gov. Jay Inslee has directed Attorney General Bob Ferguson to investigate Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer relating to the possible criminal violations in January when Troyer allegedly called 911 and claimed a Black man was threatening to kill him.
“The initial reports of these events were very concerning to me, and I had hoped to see some action taken to initiate a criminal investigation at the local level. But, to my knowledge, that has not happened almost three months after the incident,” Inslee said.
“So now the state is stepping in. I have spoken to Attorney General Ferguson and his office will conduct this investigation and make the decision whether to initiate prosecution.”
The attorney general has stated that a diligent and fact-based review will be conducted.
In a statement to KIRO 7, Troyer said, “Just like with the local investigation being conducted by the Pierce County Council I welcome any and all inquiries into the event that occurred on January 27th. I and the department will fully cooperate with the investigation and look forward to it being done.”