Inmate accused of attacking a Franklin jailer. She’s done it before
A Tri-Cities woman is accused of attacking a Franklin County jailer. It’s not the first time it has happened, or even the only time in the past month.
Corrections officers were conducting a routine cell cleaning for inmate Jamie B. Swigart, 34, about 8:30 a.m. on Friday when she became combative, according to a news release from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
Swigart allegedly grabbed a book and threw it across the cell, hitting an officer in the face. Then she began hitting the jailer in the face and bit him several times on the forearm, said the release.
The officer had bruising and cuts on his face from the attack, and the bites broke the skin.
After the attack the officer drove himself to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland and was met by Franklin County Sheriff’s deputies so they could investigate the assault.
Swigart is facing felony assault charges on a corrections officer.
Documents related to previous charges indicate she may be transient. She has prior charges and convictions in Benton, Franklin, Yakima and Spokane counties.
Previous attacks
In early April she attacked another jailer, according to court records.
That attack also happened during a cell cleaning. When an officer opened the door to the cell to tell Swigart she needed to be moved, so a trustee could do the cleaning, she punched the jailer in the face. The jailer immediately closed the door to the cell. She was charged with felony assault on a corrections officer in that instance as well.
In March 2025 she allegedly assaulted a bailiff employed by Tri-Cities Monitoring in a Franklin County courtroom.
In Oct. 2023 she was charged with assault on a law enforcement officer in Benton County. In 2021, she was charged with felony assault on a transit employee.
In 2018 and 2019 she was charged in two instances of attacking a healthcare worker, though one of the charges was dropped.
Swigart was also charged with attacking a Pasco police officer at the Tri-Cities Airport in 2017, but that charge was later dropped.
