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21-year-old Lewisburg man charged with stealing electronics
[December 14, 2012]

21-year-old Lewisburg man charged with stealing electronics


LEWISBURG, Dec 14, 2012 (The Daily Item - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- A Union County man said he was high on heroin and alcohol and doesn't recall stealing electronics during four burglaries of homes and vehicles late last summer in Lewisburg.



Tristan Swigart, 21, of Lewisburg, told Buffalo Valley Regional police he blacked out at his residence at 113 N. Third St. in Lewisburg after drinking and doing drugs on Sept. 29. When he awoke, he saw all of the stolen property in his room.

A GPS tracking application on a stolen iPhone led police to Swigart, who had been staying at the residence of his sister, Shayna Swigart.


Tristan Swigart was arraigned Thursday before District Judge Leo Armbruster in Union County Court on 14 felony counts, 12 misdemeanor counts and eight summary offenses. Bail in four cases was set at $5,000 each.

Buffalo Valley police filed affidavits on the alleged crimes and events Tuesday in Union County Court.

Swigart was arraigned before Armbruster in October on charges of burglary Sept. 15 at 36 S. Seventh St. The latest burglary charges are from incidents Aug. 17 of a Jeep parked on 115 N. Third St., Sept. 29 at 108 S. Sixth St., and Sept. 29 at 114 S. Sixth St.

According to an affidavit, Tina Adams in August reported someone had broken into her Jeep and took a wallet containing several insurance cards. Her vehicle title, registration, insurance cards and driver's license also were gone.

On Sept. 15, Marielle Olentine reported to police she was visiting friends in Lewisburg the previous night. She realized the next day her Macbook Pro laptop was stolen from her car.

On Sept. 29, Rachel Fisher and Melissa Koenigsberg reported a burglary in which a 32-inch flat-screen television, two Apple Macbook Pro laptops and an iPhone 4 were taken from their living room.

At 7:30 p.m., Fisher told police she was able to track the iPhone to the 100 block of North Third Street. Police found the position of the tracking point about 5 feet away at 113-115 N. Third St.

At 113 N. Third St., police spoke with Shayna Swigart, who said she lives at the apartment with her children. Police told Swigart a stolen iPhone was tracked to her address, and she gave them permission to search the residence.

Shayna Swigart told police her brother Tristan was the only person who could have brought an iPhone into the residence, and he had left about 15 minutes before police arrived.

Upon entering a locked room at the residence, police discovered numerous electronics that were reported stolen.

Among the items was an iPhone 4S with a message on its screen that said it belonged to Matthew Haller, a Bucknell University student, that the phone was lost or stolen, there was a reward for its return and a phone number to contact Haller.

Haller later told Buffalo Valley police he left the iPhone connected to a sound system at his Lewisburg residence the night of Sept. 29 while he was out. He discovered the phone missing upon returning.

According to the affidavits, during their investigation Buffalo Valley police discovered Swigart was on probation in Northumberland County. His probation order was violated, and Swigart was located at his mother's home during a domestic disturbance call. Sunbury Police took Swigart into custody, and he was put in Northumberland County Prison.

Buffalo Valley police interviewed Swigart on Oct. 3 at Northumberland County Prison about the Lewisburg thefts, the affidavits state. Swigart said he didn't remember breaking into a vehicle or entering any residences, but also he had been drinking before the burglaries and was high on heroin. He told police he blacked out and awoke with all the property in his room.

Swigart allegedly admitted to taking all the property and said he acted alone.

His preliminary hearings are scheduled for Jan. 31 before Armbruster.

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