Evansville Man sentenced for Willfully Injuring Government Property

An Evansville man was sentenced to six years’ probation for willfully injuring government property. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence on Feb. 20 and ordered the defendant to pay $5,839.50 in restitution.

Stephen Clifford Swingle, age 45, pled guilty to the charges on Nov. 16, 2023.

According to court documents, starting in August 2022, campground fee tubes at the Muddy Mountain Environmental Education Area in Natrona County were broken into four times resulting in the theft of camping fees and significant property damage. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) placed game cameras in the area and captured multiple images of Swingle and his truck in the area around the time of the break-ins. When interviewed by investigators, Swingle admitted to breaking into and stealing the fee tubes.

This crime was investigated by the BLM and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christyne Martens.