Two Men Indicted For 2010 Murder of Thompson Teen
Three years ago, 17-year-old Dan Swan was beaten and left for dead in a ditch on Sidley Road in Thompson…
Three years ago, 17-year-old Dan Swan was beaten and left for dead in a ditch on Sidley Road in Thompson Township — the investigation inconclusive at the time.
Last Thursday, the case found heat again after a Geauga County grand jury indicted Dustin Plottke, 26, and Matthew Boone, 23, both of 4259 Ireland Road in Rome Township, on aggravated murder-related charges.
Plottke has been charged with one count of aggravated murder, two counts of murder and two counts of felonious assault — all felonies of varying degrees.
Boone has been charged with one count of complicity to aggravated murder, two counts of complicity to murder, two counts of complicity to felonious assault and two counts of tampering with evidence — all felonies of varying degrees.
At his bond hearing Monday, he pleaded not guilty to all charges in the seven-count indictment (see sidebar story).
The Geauga County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference last Thursday afternoon regarding the case.
Swan had been found with multiple injuries to his head in the middle of Sidley Road in the early hours of July 25, 2010, never regained consciousness and passed away three weeks later.
The Incident
According to Geauga Cou-nty Sheriff Dan McClelland, Boone and Plottke reportedly drove a Ford F-150 down Sidley Road in Thompson Township around 4:25 a.m. on July 25.
With Plottke in the passenger seat, the duo passed Swan, who was walking on the side of the road. Plottke allegedly opened the passenger side door, striking Swan, who then fell into a ditch.
The pair drove a short distance and then turned around, the sheriff said.
At that point, Swan stood up and emerged from the ditch. Boone had turned the truck around and stopped near Swan’s location. The pair exited the vehicle and confronted Swan.
Plottke then reportedly struck Swan on the back of the head multiple times with a “pipe-like” object. Boone and Plottke left the scene.
“The victim collapsed and the two sped away,” McClelland said, adding further investigation revealed Boone later scrapped the F-150 as well as the pipe-like object.
Earlier That Evening, a Party
Deputies said Swan had attended a party with a friend, Sam Medved, on Ledge Road in the late hours of July 24.
Swan and Medved allegedly left the party and traveled to see a third friend. Swan then reportedly told Medved he would stay in the vehicle. When Medved returned from visiting the friend, Swan was gone.
At that point, Medved drove a mile north and found Swan in the middle of the road, unconscious. His general location was a quarter-mile south of the intersection of Sidley Road and state Route 166.
Medved reportedly tried to call 9-1-1, but a dead cell phone prompted him to pick up Swan, put him in the vehicle and transport him back to the party.
Medved then called 9-1-1 and told the operator Swan was “completely out of it and unable to answer any questions,” according to a July 26 sheriff’s office incident report.
Swan died of his injuries three weeks later on Aug. 17 at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, according to the Aug. 19, 2010, issue of the Geauga County Maple Leaf.
At last Thursday’s press conference, McClelland said the Ledge Road party had no connection with the death of Swan.
He added the sheriff’s office conducted many interviews with people as a result of the tragedy.
Even the initial Aug. 18, 2010, press conference after Swan’s death aided law enforcement, he added.
“Everyone had to be analyzed,” McClelland said. “It was important to find out what didn’t happen, so we could find out what did happen.”
A Break In The Case
A seemingly random investigation during a July 2012 burglary in Montville Township helped law enforcement move forward in the Swan case.
“Det. (Juanita) Vetter’s work on an unrelated burglary case suggested a suspect for us,” the sheriff said, declining to elaborate on further details.
Lt. Scott Niehus said both suspects are known to law enforcement for various past crimes, including burglary, breaking and entering, possession of drug paraphernalia and manufacturing illegal drugs.
Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz read the various charges in each man’s indictment, adding “there is potential for life sentences.”
“My goal as a prosecutor is to hold these two defendants accountable,” Flaiz said.
There is no known relationship between the men and Swan.
McClelland said it seems to be a “crime of opportunity, a random act of violence,” adding there were no bad debts or relationship issues between those involved.
Both men are currently being held at the Geauga County Safety Center due to their involvement with other crimes.
The Rev. Mark Spansel of Leroy Community Chapel read a prepared statement from Swan’s family and asked the media respect the family’s privacy.
In the statement, the pastor described Swan as someone with a dry sense of humor, yet also one who was “kind-hearted and compassionate.”
He said Swan loved preparing his mother breakfast and tea. Spansel also said Swan was proud of his Irish heritage and wanted to visit Ireland.
“There will be no closure until we reach Heaven,” Spansel read. “His loss is a void that has been torn. But only faith can bridge that void.”
Flaiz said Plottke was already on his way to jail to serve a six-year sentence on a unrrelated crime in Ashtabula County.
Both men were brought into custody about a week ago, said Lt. John Hiscox.
When asked what the case meant to him, McClelland said at the end of the conference, “there was an obligation to the family.”
He said he felt touched after attending a fundraiser for the family shortly after the incident.
“We owed the families the opportunity to know what was going to happen,” the sheriff said. “This investigation is more than just a job.”
– Reporter Josh Echt contributed to this story.
