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Dustin T. Swanda, Assaulting a Federal Correctional Officer, Indiana 2023
TERRE HAUTE, IN – Dustin T. Swanda, 36, of Minnesota, has been handed 32 additional months in federal prison after pleading guilty to assaulting a federal officer.
According to court documents, Swanda was originally sentenced to 151 months in federal prison in 2009 by the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy.
On December 31, 2020, Swanda was being held at the Terre Haute Federal Correctional Institution. During a routine security sweep, correctional officers conducted physical checks of the bars and windows in each cell. Inmates were asked to leave the cell for a short period of time while the officers searched it.
When an officer approached Swanda’s cell, he was asked to step out. Swanda refused to comply. The officer observed Swanda ‘moving like a zombie,’ making unintelligible noises, and staring at the wall. The officer believed Swanda was intoxicated in some manner and called for backup.
When instructed to leave his cell again, Swanda became volatile and continued to resist verbal commands. After multiple orders to voluntarily leave the cell were given, officers attempted to physically guide Swanda out of his cell. At this time, Swanda physically resisted the officers by kicking his legs and punching an officer in the face.
One officer was taken to a local hospital for a broken finger. The Bureau of Prisons investigated the case. U.S. District Court Judge James P. Hanlon imposed the sentence, ordering it to be served consecutively to the sentence Swanda is already serving. Additionally, Judge Hanlon ordered Swanda to pay a $500 fine.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney James M. Warden, who prosecuted this case. The incident serves as a reminder of the dangers faced by correctional officers every day.
Key Facts
- State: Indiana
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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