Police: Man Breaks into South Windsor Home, Hides in Attic

A 34-year-old Vernon man is facing several charges after being found Thursday hiding in the attic of a South Windsor home he had allegedly attempted to burglarize, according to police.

Andrew Swegman, 34, of 17 Regan Street, Vernon, was charged with burglary in the third degree and larceny in the sixth degree, according to South Windsor police spokesperson Sgt. Scott Custer.

His arrest came after police responded to a suspicious persons report on Neiderwerefer Road, near Dart Hill Road, according to police.

A Neiderwerfer resident allegedly saw Swegman ring a neighbor's doorbell and then go behind a house, Custer said.

South Windsor police officers were on the scene within one minute and found an open window at the rear of the home, Custer said. Officers set up a perimeter around the home and later entered the home with a Vernon police department canine team, Custer said in a statement.

Swegman was located in the attic and officers subsequently recovered coins and jewelry that he had taken from a bedroom.  

Swegman was held on a $500,000 surety bond and will be presented at Manchester Superior Court on Friday, Oct. 26.

"This was a great example of neighbors watching out for suspicious persons and notifying the police immediately," Custer wrote in an e-mail. "We were fortunate that Sgt. Tom Field was nearby and was on scene within 45 seconds, thus trapping the suspect in the home and preventing his escape."

Swegman, according to Custer, is also wanted by the Connecticut State Police on an outstanding arrest warrant for burglary, larceny and criminal mischief.