Man who fled into storm sewer was wanted by police for alleged assault on woman
Laura Lane
Police say a man who fled from officers by descending into the storm sewer system beneath Bloomington Tuesday had sexually assaulted a woman and threatened her with a machete early that morning.
Eli S. Swartzentruber, 37, is incarcerated at the Monroe County Jail on multiple felonies in lieu of $50,500 bond, according to court records.
Indiana State Police troopers, county sheriff's deputies and IU cops joined Bloomington Police Department officers during a 7-hour manhunt below the streets of downtown Bloomington that started about 9:30 a.m.
The man reportedly had threatened people at Seminary Park that morning with a metal rod and a machete, then ran off, disappearing into a storm sewer entrance.
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Police told the man to come out and he refused, saying he had a rifle and they should not enter.
Police dog Loki helped apprehend man in sewer
Officers deployed camera systems the city uses to monitor the condition of underground sewers to search for Swartzentruber throughout the day. Sheriff Brad Swain said one of his deputies directed a drone into the underground storm sewer network Tuesday afternoon in an attempt to locate the suspect.
It was an ISP officer and his specially trained canine who apprehended Swartzentruber. ISP spokesman Mike Wood confirmed that police dog Loki bit Swartzentruber on the arm and pushed him to the ground, facilitating the 5 p.m. arrest by Sgt. Richard Klun, the dog's handler.
Swartzentruber is charged with battery by means of a deadly weapon and intimidation in that incident.
Police had been looking for suspect who fled into sewer in assault case
The sheriff confirmed deputies had been looking for Swartzentruber, who used to live in rural Worthington but has recently been without a home and staying in Bloomington, since early Tuesday morning.
That's when a woman who knows Swartzentruber reported he came to her cabin on Koontz Road at 6:30 a.m., threatened her with a machete and sexually assaulted her.
The Monroe County Prosecutor's office has filed four charges in connection with that incident: sexual battery, intimidation, strangulation and residential entry.
According to a probable cause affidavit in the case, Swartzentruber arrived at the woman's cabin unannounced. He reportedly said he wanted her to go with him to live underground, "to which she responded, 'no.' "Victim 1 stated that Eli then proceeded to pull out and brandish a machete, which (she) described as approximately 16 inches long by 4 inches wide," the affidavit said.
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He then sexually assaulted her, the woman said, before she fled from the cabin into the woods, then to a nearby residence to report what had happened. The woman said Swartzentruber said strange things when he was there and that she was afraid.
Swartzentruber left in a truck he told the woman he had stolen in Worthington. He ended up in Bloomington at Seminary Park, where he walked after parking the vehicle in the nearby Kroger lot.
2019 charges in Owen, Greene counties
In 2019, Swartzentruber was charged with auto theft in Owen County and with theft and criminal mischief in Greene County. Court records in Greene County allude to a police sergeant's concerns about Swartzentruber's mental health. The officer referenced odd behavior, safety worries and the suspect's desire to stay in jail because that's where he feels safe.
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He ended up with a plea agreement and spent about two months in jail.
Daviess County: Battery against a public safety official
In January 2021, he pleaded guilty in Daviess County to battery against a public safety official, battery by bodily waste and criminal mischief. He got credit for 404 days he spent in jail before the guilty plea that dismissed five other charges.
Swartzentruber was released and put on probation, which a notation in the court file from April 2022 says he failed to complete. He owes $5,650 in restitution.
Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.