Portola man arrested following crimes that put a Quincy school and neighborhood in lockdown
A 26-year-old Portola man is in the Plumas County jail arrested on a number of charges including robbery, false imprisonment, vehicle theft, and assault on a peace officer with injury.
According to a release from the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office, its dispatch center received a 911 call from a female at about 8 a.m. this morning, May, 17, reporting a male suspect entered her residence on Alder Street in Quincy and demanded the keys to her vehicle while holding a hammer. The elderly female gave the suspect the keys to her vehicle. She was ordered into her bathroom where the suspect secured the bathroom door. The suspect fled the residence and took the victim’s vehicle, a blue Subaru station wagon.
A few minutes later, the Sheriff’s Office received a second 911 from a female reporting a subject in a blue Subaru station wagon had entered her property. The female property owner witnessed the suspect attempt to drive across her footbridge. The female confronted the suspect who fled the scene and in doing so collided with a gate. Deputies located the vehicle abandoned on Oak St.
Numerous personnel from the Sheriff’s arrived on scene and began to search for the suspect. A subject matching the description was found hiding in the bushes near the Quincy Elementary School and fled from deputies on foot.
A Code Red notification was sent out to area residents and all schools were locked down for precautionary safety of the students.
A perimeter was set up in the neighborhood and deputies began searching the area. While deputies were searching the area, the dispatch center received a call from a resident on Alder Court who advised an unknown male subject was observed in her backyard.
A deputy responded to the residence and located James Swangler, 26, of Portola, hiding in a shed on the property. After a brief physical confrontation with Swangler he was taken into custody. Swangler was booked into the Plumas County Correctional Center for robbery, false imprisonment, vehicle theft, and assault on a peace officer with injury and held on $100,000 bail.
It was also determined through the investigation, that Swangler was also the primary suspect in the traffic collision and possession of a stolen vehicle investigation yesterday on Bradley and Main St.
The case will be sent to the Plumas County District Attorney’s Office.
Anyone with information or security camera footage of the incident is urged to contact the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office.
