BANGOR, Maine — The man arrested Friday afternoon after he allegedly carjacked a van and led police on a high-speed chase told police he was on bath salts, according to court documents.
Brian Swett, a 31-year-old transient, is charged with two counts of robbery, theft, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, burglary to a motor vehicle, operating without a license, criminal speeding and driving to endanger.
He told police he had used bath salts before stealing the van but refused to discuss Friday’s events further, according to the court documents.
Swett, who had been staying at the Hope House, a homeless shelter in Bangor, made his first court appearance Monday afternoon at the Penobscot Judicial Center on the charges. He did not enter pleas.
Superior Court Justice Ann Murray set bail at $15,000 cash or $100,000 surety. Through his court-appointed attorney, Aaron Frey of Bangor, Swett said it was unlikely he could make such a high bail.
Swett’s next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 9.
One of the robbery counts against Swett has to do with an incident early Friday morning, according to Bangor police Sgt. Paul Edwards.
About 13 hours before the carjacking, at 2 a.m. Friday, police were dispatched to the intersection of Garland and Pine streets for a report of a woman being pinned to the ground by three men, Edwards said.
Officer Mike Brennan and several units arrived at the scene and found a woman who reported Swett had taken her cellphone and assaulted her when she made chase.
“She reported that he ducked around a corner. When she went around the corner, he kicked her, knocked her to the ground and then kicked her several times while she was down on the ground, and again took off running,” Edwards said.
Police located Swett later in the day after the carjacking.
Swett allegedly broke into a car on Harlow Street, setting off the car alarm and stealing a purse, at about 3:10 p.m. and was hitting vehicle windows in the Abbott Square parking area, apparently trying to break the windows to gain access to the vehicles.
Witnesses told police the man was wearing a “ratty whitish shirt, blue jean shorts and a dark baseball cap,” according to Sgt. Jim Buckley, who said Swett’s clothing matched that description when he was arrested.
Swett was gone by the time police arrived, but they found the purse on the bank of the Kenduskeag Stream in the area behind the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building.
“It was all recovered and given back to the owner,” Buckley said.
Around 3:25 p.m., police received a call reporting that a woman had been forced from her vehicle while parked on the side of the street outside 262 Harlow St., Bangor police Sgt. Bob Bishop said Friday night.
Swett approached the woman, who was sitting in her vehicle, and told her she was being robbed, Bishop said. The woman stepped out and Swett allegedly drove off in her gold Chrysler van with her dog in the back.
Minutes later, Maine State Police Trooper Kyle Ouellette, who was traveling south on Interstate 95, saw a vehicle matching the description of the stolen van being driven in the northbound lane.
Ouellette turned and followed the van, which eventually exited the interstate in Orono and then got back on in the southbound lane and headed back toward Bangor.
The trooper attempted to stop the van, but Swett continued to drive, accelerating to nearly 100 mph as the chase approached Bangor, Ouellette said Friday.
When Swett encountered a police roadblock just past the Hogan Road on-ramp to I-95 south, he attempted to elude police by driving up the exit into oncoming traffic.
State police Detective Brian Strout ran into the van’s rear, disabling the fleeing vehicle and knocking off its bumper, according to Ouellette. The van also struck a dark blue Audi that was on the ramp.
Swett was arrested about 3:40 p.m.
Brennan later interviewed Swett at the Penobscot County Jail and charged him with Class B robbery for stealing the woman’s cellphone by force, Edwards said.
The owner of the van is seeking $295 in restitution from Swett — $175 to pay for towing her vehicle from the crash scene and $120 in cash she said was missing from her van, according to court documents.
The puppy that was in the van when it was stolen was returned safely to the owner, police said.
If convicted of Class B robbery, Swett could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000.
Swett remained Monday night at the Penobscot County Jail on a probation hold. After his arrest Friday, Swett told police he was on probation for trafficking heroin.
Information about what led to that conviction was not available Monday.
BDN reporter Nick McCrea contributed to this story.
He will get 30 days and be back out.
My daughter is the one that had her van stolen in this article. She just found out that the van is totalled. 4660.00 in damages. She called her insurance and the van has only liability. They will not cover this. So she was the one that had her vehicle stolen and totalled, had her cash stolen out of the van and no one is responsible for this???? So this guy will be out laughing about this in no time and moving onto another victim….while my daughter is on foot with 3 little kids. I just don’t get it.
I’m sorry for your daughter’s experience. Was the dog okay?
The article on Friday indicated the dog was recovered and is OK. I was on I95 and went by the roadblock apparently seconds before this lunatic was caught.
Yes the poochie is just fine.
This is wrong and outrageous.
Yes Willie someone is responsible, Brian Swett. He made the decision to rob your daughter. Thank God the kids were not involved. Had he tried to get my car, he would have been met with a 9mm and would have had another decision to make. The car would be safe and all those inocent people and officers would not have been put in harms way.
I’m glad she’s O.K.
They can forget about a fine..
the last sentence of this article needs translation…If convicted of Class B robbery, Swett could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000. He remained behind bars on Monday means…he will be on the street by sunset, out on $400 bail and will not result in anywhere near a 20 thousand dollar fine or 10 years in jail…just my opinion, mind you
how things have changed…in 1971 i was arrested and was charged with possession of marijuana(less than 2 joints worth) and my bail was set at fifteen thousand cash or one hundred fifty thousand with 2 sureties…i got 90 days in jail suspended and 2 years probation. go figure.
the evil weed… reefeer madness possessed you. didn’t it… (-:
I think Reefer Madness possessed the judicial system, actually… Still does.
Out by thursday on time served.
seriously?
31 years old?? Wowhe’s led a rough life!
Transient making bail is going where again if released?? Hungry and no place to sleep, what do you expect he will do when he gets released?
Obamas vision of the USA.. You didn’t see so many transients during the Bush years in Bangor, did ya?
Many homeless are from the Bush years and are Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with PTSD. So much for your Bush years theory.
so uh was the dog ok? And he def doesnt look like hes only 31.
put this lunatic away for a long long time
Homeless but could afford bath salts? GO FIGURE!!!!! Gee I wonder why he is homeless!
The bath salts may help explain the behavior, but it does not excuse it. By now, it is not as though people don’t know how bath salts impacts behavior.
No money for a room or food,yet money for bathsalts,HELLO!!!
It’s the judges,slap his hands,say bad boy,,and over done with gone. Hope a judges family becomes a victim,then we will see what happens!
Is it me or are people starting to use the “I was on bath salts” excuse a little much?? As if it is supposed to make a difference!
Got salts?