Crime

Search continues for pursuit, carjacking suspect

Police: Man no longer in Montgomery County

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Police spent a fifth straight day Tuesday searching for a man who led officers on a chase across four counties before carjacking a vehicle near Ladoga.

Jamestown Police has issued a statewide bulletin to locate David Swails, 21, Mooresville. Swails is no longer believed to be in Montgomery or Boone counties, authorities said.

The chase began early Friday when Swails fled in a vehicle from a Jamestown officer who stopped him for speeding through the flashing light at State Road 75 and U.S. 136, said Jamestown marshal Aaron Clapp.

The officer suspected Swails was involved in narcotics activity and determined he had been charged with attempted murder in 2017 for shooting at a Monroe County sheriff’s deputy, Clapp said.

Police chased the Chevrolet Silverado on State Road 234 through Hendricks and Putnam counties, Clapp said. When the pursuit entered Montgomery County, the driver began driving through miles of fields. The driver eventually crashed into a creek and ran.

Swails’ girlfriend was a passenger and cooperated with police, Clapp said. She is currently not facing charges. The vehicle belonged to her father-in-law and had not been reported stolen, Clapp said.

Multiple agencies from Montgomery County were called to East State Road 234 and South C.R. 925E near Ladoga around 2 a.m. to assist Boone County authorities searching for Swails, according to police call logs.

Just before noon Friday, a woman reported being carjacked at knifepoint in a white Ford Escape east of Ladoga. The woman, who was not injured, identified Swails as the suspect through a photograph, Montgomery County Sheriff Ryan Needham said.

“We certainly had suspicions [that Swails was involved] from the get-go,” Needham said.

Court records show the attempted murder charge against Swails was dropped in a plea deal. He is serving probation for criminal recklessness and resisting law enforcement.

“He hasn’t popped up,” Clapp said. “As far as I know, the vehicle hasn’t popped up.”

Clapp said he couldn’t release information about the suspect’s possible whereabouts. Local charges have not been filed.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Jamestown Police at 765-676-9484 or Montgomery County Sheriff’s officer Ethan Redmon at 765-362-3740.


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