CLEARFIELD – A Curwensville man charged with stealing nine vehicles and a burglary was sentenced to state prison during plea and sentencing court in Clearfield County.
Corey Tyler Swatsworth, 37, an inmate of state prison, pleaded guilty to burglary in one case and theft by unlawful taking in seven additional cases.
He was given a nine months to five years state prison sentence in each case by Judge Paul Cherry. The sentences will run consecutive to a probation violation sentence for one to three years in state prison that he received in May. They will run concurrent to each other.
He was fined $8 plus costs and he must pay restitution. He was also ordered to complete drug/alcohol counseling.
The charges stem from incidents in Curwensville in March and April. In many of these crimes, Swatsworth took the vehicles to travel to Clearfield or DuBois to buy alcohol or get prescription drugs.
According to the affidavit of probable cause in the burglary case, police were called to a Fredricka Avenue residence on April 14 for a report of a stolen vehicle. This victim was at home when he heard his garage door open. When he looked in the garage, his vehicle was missing.
He gave a description of Swatsworth, who had been at his home earlier that day and the vehicle which was a white Subaru with damage to the passenger side.
As the officer was gathering information, another call came through from Snappy’s on Filbert Street in Curwensville. A clerk at Snappy’s was reporting an intoxicated male who was driving a white Subaru with damage to the passenger side.
After police looked at the surveillance video, they were able to identify Swatsworth. The vehicle was recovered at the intersection of Fredricka Avenue and Station Street in Curwensville.
According to the affidavit in the second case, this victim was walking from his apartment April 15 when he noticed his vehicle, a 2005 Chevrolet Gold Silverado truck, which had been parked on Thompson Street was missing. It was later seen parked off Meadow Street in Curwensville.
This vehicle was a suspect in a hit-and-run at the Sheetz on state Route 879. The truck had also struck a red Chevrolet Camaro and several cars at C. Classic Dodge in Clearfield. Surveillance video by the dealer was provided to the police.
The suspect in the video was wearing the same clothing as Swatsworth had worn the day before when he had taken the Subaru.
Swatsworth was located at his residence in Curwensville and was taken to the police station. At first Swatsworth denied being in Snappy’s. But after he was shown the surveillance video, he admitted he took the car and the truck.
He said he went to Wal-Mart, but he couldn’t remember striking the cars because he was intoxicated. The surveillance video showed the truck exiting the parking lot at Sid’s Six Pack near C. Classic Dodge. After this the truck was involved in another hit-and-run at Wise Buys on SR 879.
According to the affidavits in the remaining cases, on March 1, Swatsworth took a pick-up truck from a parking lot in the area of 357 Thompson St. He gained access to it, using a tool. He then drove to a Stronach Road residence in Grampian where he left the stolen truck parked in the driveway. He next went to a Melody Road residence in Grampian where he gained entry to a vehicle through an unlocked door. Once inside he located the key and drove it to Curwensville where he abandoned it.
On March 17, Swatsworth stole a van from the victim’s driveway on State Street in Curwensville. He later returned the vehicle.
On March 21, he stole a truck from a parking lot on Meadow Street in Curwensville, which he drove to Clearfield to obtain alcohol or drugs. He returned the truck, parking it approximately 50 yards from where he had taken it.
On March 23, Swatsworth and a female gained entry into a van through an unlocked door and found the keys. The two then traveled to Clearfield where he got alcohol and prescription drugs before returning to Curwensville. He parked the van at the intersection of George and Filbert streets and then walked back to his residence.
On March 24, Swatsworth took a Volvo from a parking lot at Walnut Street. He and the same female drove to Penn Highlands-DuBois, where he obtained some oxycodone pills to treat his back pain. He then drove back to Curwensville where they parked the car off Anderson Avenue.
On March 31, a victim’s truck was taken from his Linden Street driveway. On April 12, police received a call that the truck had been located in Curwensville on River and Meadow streets.
When questioned by police, Swatsworth admitted to taking most of the vehicles but could not recall taking the truck from Linden Street. However, the method of this crime was consistent with the other vehicles Swatsworth took during this time period. It was also recovered not far from Swatsworth’s residence and near where he had parked the other stolen vehicles.