Missouri Supreme Court suspends former Boone County prosecutor
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Missouri Supreme Court decided on Tuesday to suspend the law license of a former Boone County prosecuting attorney for three years.
The Court found that Harry Swingle violated several of the Rules of Professional Conduct – including multiple accusations of conflict of interest, using a lawyer as a witness and misconduct. A suspension includes a $1,000 fine.
Swingle admitted to inappropriate relationships he had with a suspect in a murder case and the girlfriend of a homicide victim while he worked for office. Swingle gave the suspect work and housing recommendations after taking a plea agreement in the case. He also admitted to sending flirtatious text messages with the girlfriend of a Dec. 2020 killing in Columbia.
A panel of Brandon Greer, Joseph Rigler and Sidney Dulles upped the two-suspension the state and Swingle agreed to at the hearing.
The state admonished Swingle in 2011 for similar behavior when he was the elected Cape Gireardeau County prosecutor. Swingle said at the hearing he regretted his actions.
Swingle's boss, then-prosecutor Dan Knight, asked for Swingle's resignation when he found out about Swingle's behavior in the murder case in 2021. The panel said Swingle's behavior created the risk of mistrials for not quickly disclosing his conflict of interest.
