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Two Arrested In Burglary String PDF Print E-mail
News - Linn County News
Written by Denise Cassells   
Wednesday, 28 January 2009 09:00
Joint law enforcement efforts, involving four counties in two states, led to the arrest of two men Jan. 19 who alledgedly broke into numerous businesses, schools, homes and a bank. Both men will face extradition charges in at least three counties —  Linn, Vernon, Bates and possibly Bourbon.

Matthew S. Swarnes, 19, Rich Hill, Mo., is being held on a $50,000 bond in the Vernon County jail, facing a Class B felony charge for first degree burglary. Zackary Guenther, 20, Hume, Mo., is being held on a $150,000 cash bond for charges to be determined.

Reports from the Linn County Sheriff’s Office and the Pleasanton Police Department allege the two men broke into the Prescott PDQ by busting out the front entry door, then vandalized and attempted to remove the automatic teller machine.

After stealing fuel from a gas station located in Foster, Mo., Pleasanton High School and a Pleasanton car wash were broken into.

Later, the Security Bank in Hume was broken into by shattering the front door glass.

Based on video surveillance taken from the scene, “I was able to determine that both men were wearing ski masks and gloves,” Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson said.

The suspects drove away in a silver 1997 Ford Ranger that later had been reported stolen from Leonard Tourtilot in Rich Hill.

At 2 a.m., Bates County Sheriff’s Office responded to a second call after an alarm sounded at a Miami School in Amsterdam, Mo. While en route to the call, officers passed the truck matching the Ford Ranger, turned around and pursued the vehicle, then terminated the pursuit after they were unable to stop the driver, Anderson said. Several windows and doors at the Miami School sustained damage during the break-in, Anderson said.

The Ford Ranger was located on County Road 1007 north of Rich Hill, after it was pushed off a ravine, and rather than landing in its intended location, the river, the truck stuck on the embankment, where officers had discovered it had been set on fire. The truck was located roughly seven hours prior to the first arrest.

Details from that point indicate that both men allegedly kicked in a door at a Nevada residence where a resident in the home was able to hold one of the men at gunpoint until police arrived to make an arrest. The other man, Guenther, escaped on foot, Vernon County Sheriff Ron Peckman said.

No information has been provided as to how the second suspect was apprehended.

Departments involved in this effort include the Rich Hill Police Department, Butler Police Department, Vernon County Sheriff’s Office, Nevada Police Department, Linn County Sheriff’s Office and the Pleasanton Police Department.
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