Three arrested after incident at Hotel Libby

At 2:38 last Saturday morning, three people broke in a side door of the Hotel Libby and were arrested on site soon after and charged with felony burglary charges.

David James Horelick, Caleb Dean Swartzendruber and Natasha Jean Swartzendruber were arrested on site after officers responded five minutes after a 911 call came from the owners of the property, Libby Police Chief Jim Smith said.  Smith said the owner heard loud noises and alerted authorities.

Smith said the subjects were found on the third floor of the hotel and were consequently arrested and each charged with a felony residential burglary charge.

Smith clarified that a forced entry is what turns a break-in into a burglary — a felony charge. An arrest for burglary does not necessarily mean the person arrested was trying to steal something in particular.

Smith said the three broke into a side door that was on the south side of the building.

“We’re not sure what exactly they were there for,” Smith said.

He said the three arrested likely broke in to cause trouble and weren’t after a certain object.

Workers from the Fishes and Loaves, where Burger also works, hypothesized that the break-ins were not about a certain object, but rather, because the subjects were intoxicated.

Gail Burger, who owns the Hotel Libby property, is renovating the space to be reopened in 2017. She declined to comment for this story.

All of the arrested three were released on bond. Natasha Swartzendruber and Horelick’s preliminary hearing is Wednesday, Sept. 10. Caleb Swartzendruber’s preliminary hearing is Thursday, Sept. 11.