Moses Lake man arrested after running from law enforcement, getting tasered
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month, 2 weeks AGO
A Moses Lake man was tasered Sept. 1 after allegedly exhibiting threatening behavior toward Moses Lake Police Department officers.
COURTESY PHOTO/MOSES LAKE POLICE DEPARTMENT
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | September 8, 2026 12:46 PM
MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man was booked on suspicion of first-degree criminal trespassing Sept. 1 after allegedly threatening behavior toward Moses Lake Police Department officers caused them to tase him.
Gary Swager, 50, allegedly was trespassing on private property near Central Drive, according to a MLPD media release. Swager has been issued trespassing citations in the past, the MLPD release said, claiming to own the property in question, although he doesn’t.
Swager allegedly disregarded demands from the officers and ran away from the scene.
“As pursuing officers got close to him, Swager turned with a knife-shaped object and took a fighting stance. As the officer began to try to deescalate the situation, Swager turned and ran again,” the release said.
The MLPD officer deployed the taser as Swager tried to run, it said.
“The taser assisted Swager to the ground and helped him drop the object in his hands,” the MLPD release said. “It also, inexplicably, caused one of his shoes to come off.”
Swager was not injured. The object he was carrying was determined to be a black battery pack, the release said.
According to the Grant County Jail Roster, Swager was booked for second-degree criminal trespassing, first-degree criminal trespassing and resisting arrest. As of Aug. 8, his bail was set at $2,000.
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