"It was terrible, driving all night, looking for my daughter," the mother said. "I didn't know if she was dead or alive."
Feb 24, 2007 - The mother who, along with police, searched all night ev
entually found the 15-year-old girl in a hotel room, with teachers' aide Abbie Jane Swogger, 34, along with several other teenagers, beer, marijuana, an open condom wrapper.
Police said the girls cut class on Thursday and walked to the home of one of the boys in Natrona, where Ms. Swogger picked them up and took them to the hotel room. Charges are pending against Swogger.
She's an aide at Highlands Senior High School.
Feb 25 - Abbie Jane Swogger was arrested on Friday. She resigned Monday morning. Police said they are continuing their investigation and charges are pending against Swogger.
Tarentum Police say they were unable to file charges in this case because it didn't fall under this jurisdiction, but they say they fully expect that both New Kensington and Harrison Township Police will file at least narcotics and corruption of minor charges.
Meanwhile, the parents of the students involved in this situation say they also would like to press charges.
ARRESTED Feb 26 - Police arrested Swogger on on felony crack cocaine possession charges and corruption of minors. Police said they found 9.5 grams of crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia in the Clarion Inn room registered to Swogger. Three teens were also present.
Feb 27 - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Charges include possession of crack and powdered cocaine, and drug paraphernalia, including a digital scale, and corrupting the morals of minors.
Police said there was about a third of an ounce of cocaine in the room, all told, some in plain view, some hidden.Police also escorted a 17-year-old boy outside. Police said the youth, who hasn't been charged, is not related to Swogger and was at the hotel room party, too. The boy was turned over to his mother at the Harrison police station.
Swogger did not immediately answer the door of her rented house Tuesday despite police pounding on the door and windows. Only after police threatened the knock down the door did Swogger let them in.
Swogger was a one-time stripper.
ARRESTED AGAIN Feb 27 - Swogger was arrested again when she was found at the home of another teacher's aide. One of the conditions of Swogger's bond was that she not leave her home. Swogger is in the Westmoreland County Jail and will have a bail hearing on March 6.
The school is offering counseling to students. It is also asking that students who say they have nude pictures of Swogger to destroy them.
PHOTOS Feb 27 - Police say they have at least two photos featuring Swogger in inappropriate behavior with area youths.
Inappropriate photos of a stripper who until Monday was a Highlands High School teacher's aide continued to surface Wednesday as the police investigation widens.A photo of Swogger, naked and cradled in the arms of six males -- several of them high school age -- is posted on the Internet site MySpace.com. The photo also is circulating extensively on cell phones and via e-mail. Police say they also have another photo that allegedly shows Swogger in unspecified inappropriate behavior with a 14-year-old boy.
As a result of at least one of the photos, police confirmed they are investigating whether 34-year-old Abby Jane Swogger, of State Street, Harrison, will face additional criminal charges allegedly involving boys as young as 14.
BAIL REVOKED Feb 27 - The judge has decided that Swogger will remain in jail until the March 6 hearing date. You won't believe what a 15-year-old said at the hearing.
CURIOSITY Feb 29 - Pittsburg Tribune-Review's Valley Laurels & Lances wonders about repercussions. Pondering, "the first red flag is why Swogger didn't have the state-required clearances for all school employees in her personnel file. Did she know a school board member who helped get her the job? Unfortunately, in many of our school districts it is all too easy for friends of board members to get jobs. " They also wonder about that internal investigation.
HEARING POSTPONED March 6 - Because prosecutors plan to file additional felony charges, the judge postponed a hearing for Swoggert. Dozens of witnesses, many of them minors, were in the courtroom for the hearing, preparing to testify against Swogger.
A hearing on all the charges will be held in March. Until then, the judge ruled Swogger must remain in jail.
SEX and DRUG COUNTS ADDED March 28 - City police filed additional charges against Swogger, adding delivering cocaine charges, and three felony sex charges.
In the new charges, police allege Swogger "asked or encouraged" two 15-year-old runaway girls to have sex with her.And it gets worse:
Swogger also is accused of asking the girls, one from Tarentum, the other from Brackenridge, to have sex with Swogger, a 17-year-old boy and another youth.
One of the 15-year-old girls told police Swogger tried to touch her breasts, told the girl she was bisexual, and suggested a "threesome" with the other 15-year-old girl. But the first girl told police she said no, even as Swogger undressed and told the girls how much she enjoyed having sex with the 17-year-old boy.April 24 - The preliminary scheduled for yesterday was postponed. Additional charges have been filed against Swogger. It was not clear yesterday whether the new charges stemmed from that party or another incident.
According to police, the 17-year-old boy said he saw a man have sex with one of the runaways in the hotel room. That man later said he knew she was 15 and that he had sex with her twice.
The 17-year-old also claimed he saw Swogger sell cocaine -- $20 worth to a Harrison woman and $100 worth of cocaine to a Brackenridge man -- in the hotel room.
PRELIMINARY HEARING May 16 - Five teenagers testified in the preliminary hearing today for Swogger. She was held for trial on 40 charges accusing her of sex, drug and corruption crimes involving numerous minors in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.
