AUBURN — A 24-year-old local woman was indicted this week on a slew of charges stemming from an October shooting when a woman was struck in the face.
Kachina Swasey Androscoggin County Jail
Kachina Swasey was indicted by an Androscoggin County grand jury on charges of attempted murder, elevated aggravated assault, reckless conduct with a firearm, two counts of aggravated assault, three counts of assault on an officer, two counts of assault, and three counts of violating conditions of release.
Swasey is being held at the Androscoggin County Jail on $50,000 cash bail, or $10,000 cash with a supervised release agreement.
According to an arrest affidavit written by Auburn Detective David Madore, police were called around 5:36 p.m. Oct. 4 to a shooting behind Roopers Beverage on Main Street. Madore said officers found Jessica Swearingen, 38, had been shot in the face with a .22-caliber handgun and several eyewitnesses had detained the shooter.
Swearingen, who was conscious and alert when officers arrived, identified Swasey as the person who shot her.
Swearingen was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, where she was later listed in stable condition.
Madore said there were three eyewitnesses to the shooting and all three said Swasey shot Swearingen following a “short physical altercation between the two.”
After Swearingen was shot, one of the eyewitnesses said they chased Swasey a short distance and detained her until police arrived.
After police officers arrested Swasey, Madore said Swasey bit an Auburn police officer and spit on another officer while being booked at the jail.
“A spit hood was placed on Swasey and she attempted to bite (two officers) as they were applying the spit hood,” Madore said in the affidavit. “Swasey was completely uncooperative with officers while in the interview room.”
Madore said in the affidavit that while Detectives Jim Phillips and Dan Chabot were walking Swasey to the police cruiser to take her to the jail, she asked Phillips if he “wanted some COVID” and proceeded to spit in his face.
Swasey was later taken to St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston to be “medically cleared for incarceration,” according to Madore.
She was placed in four-point restraints upon arriving at St. Mary’s after kicking Phillips in the chest, Madore added.
According to court records, at the time of the shooting, Swasey was on bail for a domestic violence incident from earlier this year.
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