Waterford Twp.-The two-year saga involving a defiant runaway teen, her older boyfriend and his parents that kept her, ended Monday in a township courtroom.
A jury returned with a guilty conviction of harboring a Brandon Township runaway against defendants Ethel Swan, 59, and her son Anthony Swan, 19, following a two-day jury trial, before Judge Richard Kuhn, Jr. at 51 District Court on Monday. Gary Swan, the husband of Ethel, was found not guilty.
Both Ethel Swan and Anthony Swan face a one-year misdemeanor and will be sentenced on Nov. 20.
Police had been pursuing the case since the youth, a 15-year-old Brandon High School freshman was reported missing in October 2004. Authorities say the teen refused to relocate from Brandon Township to Virginia with her father following a job change. She then went to live with Brandon Township grandparents, but ran away after several confrontations regarding a curfew. More than once the trail stopped at a Waterford Township residence where the Swans continually denied knowledge of the missing youth.
The two-year search for the missing girl ended in turn.?
‘That’s the word of the day, ‘poor judgement,?? said Brain Gagniuk, the defense attorney for Swan’s during a pretrial hearing last summer. ‘She was not staying with the Swans everyday, just sometimes and was treated as part of the family. Telling the authorities would have been the appropriate thing to do.?
‘The youth would like to continue living with the family if possible, they wish the best for her.?