Staff Report

Taylor Elliott Swenson

PIERCETON — A Fort Wayne man was recently arrested after burglarizing a Pierceton business and stealing five ATVs.

Taylor Elliott Swenson, 20, 613 2nd St., Fort Wayne, is charged with burglary, a level 5 felony; and theft, a level 6 felony.

On July 13, 2019, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s officers went to Loose Moose Motorsports in Pierceton for a theft report. Upon arrival, officers spoke with an employee who provided surveillance footage of the theft.

According to court documents, in the video, a U-Haul truck is seen backing into the business’s gate around 3 a.m. on July 13, 2019. Three people are seen exiting the vehicle and forcibly entering the business by dismantling the fence gate. The truck is then seen backing into the business where ATVs are stored. Five ATV motor vehicles of various make and color were loaded into the truck.

Shoe prints at the scene were found and photographed. A pair of rubber gloves not affiliated with the business were also found and placed into evidence.

The gloves were sent to the Indiana State Police lab for DNA analysis. The lab said DNA found on the gloves matched with Swenson. A Kosciusko County Sheriff’s officer interviewed Swenson about the incident. During the interview, Swenson said he had been involved with stealing vehicles in Fort Wayne but that he had never been to Warsaw or Pierceton.

Swenson then voluntarily provided a DNA sample, which was sent for testing to be compared with DNA found on the rubber gloves. On May 19, 2020, officers received results confirming that DNA found on the gloves matched Swenson’s DNA.

Swenson was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on March 3, with a $6,250 surety and cash bond.