Baker City man accused of rape gets new attorney in court case
Swanlund will get a new defense attorney as Baker County Circuit Court keeps a serious rape case moving through pretrial steps. The change could slow hearings while counsel gets up to speed.
A new defense lawyer has entered the Baker County case against Eric Vincent Swanlund, adding another layer to a prosecution already marked by a grand jury indictment, high bail and allegations involving a 15-year-old girl. In Baker County Circuit Court, the attorney change means the case will keep moving through pretrial steps before any trial date can be set or confirmed.
Swanlund, 43, of Baker City, was arrested by the Baker County Sheriff’s Office on April 23 at about 4:15 p.m. The next day, prosecutors filed an initial complaint accusing him of 10 counts of third-degree rape, 10 counts of third-degree sodomy, 10 counts of third-degree sexual abuse, one count of second-degree online corruption of a child, one count of coercion and one count of strangulation. Judge Matt Shirtcliff set bail at $600,000.
Investigators said the case began in March after the sheriff’s office received a report of child sexual abuse. The victim’s mother called on March 30 to report that Swanlund might have sexually abused her daughter, and investigators later said the abuse had been ongoing for nearly two years and had not been reported. That timeline helped turn what started as a local abuse report into one of the county’s most serious pending criminal cases.
A grand jury added to the pressure on April 30, when it returned a 38-count indictment. The new charges included Measure 11 felony allegations, among them four counts of using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct. District Attorney Greg Baxter said some higher-degree rape charges were not available because the victim was older than 14 at the time of the alleged crimes. That limits what prosecutors can pursue, even as the case remains serious and complex.
The latest reporting on June 9 and June 18 said a settlement conference was being discussed and that Swanlund would get a new attorney. In practical terms, a defense change can give the new lawyer time to review evidence, meet with Swanlund and decide whether to challenge evidence, negotiate resolution or prepare for trial. That can slow hearings, at least temporarily, but it does not signal the case is going away.
The case has drawn close attention in Baker County because Swanlund was known locally as a contractor and through volunteer organizations, not just as a defendant in court. Deputies have also said there may be additional victims. With Baker County’s population estimated at 16,658, the case has landed in a community small enough for the allegations, the arrest and now the attorney change to ripple far beyond the courtroom.
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