Pair charged with attempted murder

Two Barry County residents are facing attempted murder charges after allegedly beating a victim with a hand gun.

Jason Swift, 40, and Sarena Tucker, 36, both of Cassville, are each charged with first-degree assault (effectively attempted murder in Missouri), armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm.

According to a probable cause statement filed by Deputy Mike McGuire, with the Barry County Sheriff’s Office, the alleged incident occurred on Nov. 9 at about 10:43 p.m. in the 22000 area of Farm Road 1150 in Cassville.

According to the statement, the victim was transported to Mercy Hospital in Cassville after Swift and Tucker had allegedly hit him several times with a semi-automatic hand gun. The victim’s head was cut so severely it had to be closed with staples.

Tucker was booked into the Barry County jail on Nob. 20 at 5:51 p.m., and Swift the following morning at 10:35 a.m. Both are being held on cash-only bonds of $50,000, and Judge Robert Foulke has denied and change in bond for both.

Swift and Tucker both have preliminary hearings on Jan. 5, 2023, at 1 p.m. min Foulke’s courtroom.

Both a convicted felons, with Swift’s charges dating back to 2003 and two stints in the Department of Corrections. In May, he pleaded guilty to delivery of a controlled substance and resisting arrest, receiving 10 years in the DOC but suspended for five years of supervised probation.

Tucker has felony convictions from 2014 and 2015 and is currently on probation.