Funeral held for Missouri state trooper who aided in the capture of one of the state’s most notorious fugitives

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (KY3) - The funeral service for Missouri State Water Patrolman Captain William “Bill” Swineburg was held Friday in Osage Beach.

Captain Swineburg passed away in August at the age of 77.

According to his online obituary, Captain Swineburg was born in Springfield and grew up in Sparta. He then went on to serve in the Vietnam War and was honorably discharged at the rank of Sergeant, where he was awarded:

·Vietnamese Service Medal with 3 Stars

·Combat Action Ribbon

·Good Conduct Ribbon 1st Award

·Presidential Unit Citation

·Navy Unit Citation

·Vietnamese Campaign Medal with Device

·National Defense Service Medal

·Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V

After getting his bachelor’s degree, Swineburg went to work for the Missouri State Water Patrol at Lake of the Ozarks in 1971.

Captain Swineburg worked for the patrol for 30 years. One particular case he’s quite notable for is being one of the two men credited with capturing one of Missouri’s most notorious fugitives.

Over six months in 1997, Alis Ben Johns killed three people and robbed homes all across the Ozarks. But it was Captin Swineburg who tracked down the serial killer.

A half a mile from where Johns dumped the car belonging to one of his victims was a house in Benton County. When Captain Swineburg and his partner checked the home, Johns came out with a gun to the head of his girlfriend, threatening to shoot her. That’s when Captain Swineburg shot Johns, ending the six-month manhunt.

“He had his opportunity to just lay down his gun and put up his hands, and that’s what we wanted, but he didn’t do that,” said Captain Swineburg in 1997.

Alis Ben Johns is still behind bars in the Southeast Correctional Center in Charleston, Missouri. At first Johns was sentenced to death, but he was later determined intellectually disabled and therefore, not eligible for the death penalty.

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