Gary Sweesy

State police said the gun used to shoot a Worth Township resident was stolen by her assailant, according to charges filed Wednesday.

Gary F. Sweesy, 47, of Harrisville, was charged with felony theft, related to guns he allegedly stole as he was being kicked out of his home.

Sweesy is awaiting trial on charges of attempted homicide, among others, related to the shooting and stabbing of Lisa Toth and Erik Crooks, who had been renting a trailer on Smith Road in Worth Township.

According to testimony at a Sept. 23 preliminary hearing, Toth and Crooks both said Sweesy brought guns with him when he started staying with them for a few days leading up to the alleged attack.

The pair said after an argument over drugs, it was one of these guns Sweesy used to shoot Toth in the back. They said Sweesy then stabbed Crooks in the back when he exited a bedroom and provided aid to Toth. According to the pair, they eventually managed to lock Sweesy out and call 911.

During her testimony, Trooper Jessica Titler said a manhunt ensued in the wooded area around the trailer, and Sweesy was eventually caught. She said a 9 mm pistol and an 8-inch knife were found alongside other items on a nearby property.

She said toopers also found an AR-15 rifle abandoned in the trailer, and Toth and Crooks had testified it was one of the guns Sweesy brought to their home.

In filing the latest charges, police claim the AR-15 gun was stolen a couple days before the alleged attack.

According to charging documents, on Sept. 9 a woman asked Sweesy to leave her home. Police said she was the homeowner, and Sweesy left sometime before sundown that day.

“Sweesy was seen at the residence on Sept. 10 at approximately 1:30 p.m.,” said the lead investigator in the affidavit. “(The woman) returned to her house at approximately 1:45 p.m. and Sweesy had left again.”

Police said on Sept. 12, one day after the attack on Toth and Crooks, the woman filed a report with police regarding guns stolen from her home.

“The woman discovered that two of her firearms, a Ruger LC9 (9 mm) handgun and an AR-15 were missing from her residence,” police said.

According to police, they identified the woman as the legal owner of the AR-15. Police did not identify the owner of the 9 mm pistol in the court documents.

A preliminary hearing has yet to be scheduled for Sweesy on the latest charge, but he is expected to appear Feb. 28 for a status conference on three sets of charges.

One of those charges is the attempted homicide case and the other two involve misdemeanor charges of trespassing and theft.