Tyler Wylie Swenson pleaded guilty before Circuit Judge Patrick Robb to one count of 1st degree tampering with a motor vehicle. He admitted taking the Chevy Blazer from a St. Joseph woman’s residence on June 7. A state trooper spotted the stolen vehicle just before 11 pm along Missouri Highway Six.
In court documents, Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper K. Jeffers said he caught up with the vehicle, but the driver accelerated to about 80 miles-per-hour. Jeffers said the pursuit continued from Buchanan into Dekalb and Clinton counties, before the vehicle crashed along Keller Road near 348th Street in Clinton County.
Swenson was injured in the crash. He was identified by fingerprint analysis at the hospital. The Blazer was a total loss.
Swenson entered a guilty plea Friday. Judge Robb followed the recommendation of prosecutors and sentenced Swenson to four years in prison. He also ordered the defendant to repay the owner $3,250 for the loss of the vehicle.