18-year-old charged in string of vehicle break-ins and thefts in Swansea, O’Fallon
The cities of Swansea, O’Fallon and Frontenac, Missouri, have had an estimated two-dozen vehicle break-ins and thefts in the past few weeks, and police arrested one of the suspects on Friday.
Robert R. Swygeart Jr., 18, faces 11 felony counts filed Friday in St. Clair County Circuit Court and eight felony counts filed Thursday in St. Louis County Circuit Court related to these alleged crimes. Records list addresses for him in East St. Louis and Cahokia Heights.
“It was a joint investigation between us, O’Fallon and an agency in St. Louis,” Swansea Police Chief Matt Blomberg said Saturday. “... We developed leads, and we were able to identify a suspect, and that person has been charged.”
Five charges filed against Swygeart by the St. Clair County state’s attorney’s office in the Swansea cases include two counts of possession of a stolen motor vehicle, one count of burglary, one count of vehicle theft conspiracy and one count of residential burglary.
Six charges filed in the O’Fallon cases include three counts of possession of a stolen motor vehicle, two counts of theft by unauthorized control of property and one count of vehicle theft conspiracy.
Eight charges filed by the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney’s office in the Frontenac cases include four counts of burglary in the first degree, two counts of stealing a motor vehicle/watercraft/aircraft, one count of stealing of other property and one count of tampering with a motor vehicle in the first degree.
The cases are still under investigation.
“We think there are more people involved than just (Swygeart), and we’re actively looking into some other leads,” Lt. Pat Feldhake of O’Fallon Police Department said Saturday.
Some charges against Swygeart reflect the fact police believe he entered homes through garages by using garage-door openers found in vehicles that he stole, according to Blomberg and Feldhake.
Swygeart remains in St. Clair County Jail without bond. Feldhake said he could be found eligible for release in Illinois under its Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity - Today Act, commonly known as the SAFE-T Act, but he will remain in custody.
“He has to be extradited back to Missouri to answer his charges over there,” Feldhake said.
Swygeart also faces two charges in Missouri related to an alleged crime in March. That includes one count of tampering with a motor vehicle in the first degree and one count of resisting/interfering with arrest for a felony.
Swygeart is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in St. Clair County on June 6. No defense attorney is listed in court records.
This story was originally published June 1, 2024 at 1:57 PM.
