A Ham Lake man who set his parents’ St. Paul home ablaze while they were inside has been given five years of probation.

John Joseph Swenson, 56, had pleaded guilty to first-degree arson and was sentenced this week in connection with the Nov. 14, 2022, fire at the Greater East Side home, where he also lived at the time.

John Swenson (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

A St. Paul police officer who was first on scene crawled into the home and carried Swenson’s 82-year-old mother to safety. She and her 87-year-old husband, who made it out of the house on his own, were taken to the hospital for medical evaluations.

The woman told police she couldn’t breathe or see and didn’t think she’d make it out of her home alive.

On Wednesday, Ramsey County District Judge DeAnne Hilgers followed a November plea deal that called for a stayed prison sentence and probation.

Court records show Swenson was found to be incompetent for court proceedings in late December 2022, and ordered civilly committed as mentally ill and chemically dependent the next month. He was deemed competent to face the criminal charge the following June, when a 12-month civil recommitment was also ordered by a judge.

Dramatic rescue

According to the criminal complaint, surveillance video showed Swenson outside the house at Birmingham Street and Idaho Avenue about 9 a.m., yelling obscenities and hitting the garage door with a pipe.

At 9:47 a.m., video showed him on the side of the house and then walking away. About two minutes later, “signs of smoke become visible from the lower portion of the home,” the complaint said. “A large plume escapes out of the house, as if something has ignited. Flames are later observed from the basement windows.”

St. Paul officer Brady Harrison was about five blocks away when he heard dispatches about the house fire, with a report that at least one person was trapped inside. Harrison was first to arrive and saw Swenson’s 87-year-old father standing outside by the home’s main entrance. He “appeared confused and was covered in black soot from the heavy black smoke that was coming from inside the house,” the complaint said.

St. Paul Police Officer Brady Harrison talks about the events that earned him the Distinguished Service medal at a June 14 ceremony. Harrison rescued an 82-year-old woman from a burning home. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Harrison yelled in the house and heard Swenson’s mother call back, but he couldn’t see her due to the thick, black smoke. He crawled inside, found her in the kitchen and carried her outside. Harrison breathed in smoke as he did and was evaluated by paramedics at the scene.

Firefighters extinguished the flames. The fire department found the fire was intentionally set, most likely on furniture in the basement.

In June, St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry recognized Harrison as the department’s Officer of the Year and also presented him with the Distinguished Service Award for the rescue. A K-9 officer, Harrison has been with St. Paul police for more than 25 years.

Arrested nearby

Two people in the area reported they saw one of the couple’s adult sons walking away from the home when the fire started. A responding officer spotted Swenson walking in the area. He handcuffed Swenson and told him he was a suspect in starting a fire at his parents’ house.

Swenson had a lighter in his pocket and possible soot on his hands, according to the complaint.

At the Ramsey County jail, Swenson told an investigator he’d made his parents breakfast in the morning, and left to go for a walk and buy a pop. He couldn’t tell the investigator what store he went to or what kind of soda he bought, the complaint said. He also said he’d gone to the park to walk around. He asked for an attorney and the investigator ended the interview.

Police were previously called to the Birmingham address on reports that Swenson had started fires, the complaint said.

Swenson’s mother reported in June 2022 that her son “was being violent and screaming in the basement,” according to the complaint. Officers saw smoke coming from the basement and Swenson left with a lighter. Swenson said a cigarette had rolled into a box.

Three months later, a neighbor called 911 to report smoke coming from the basement. Swenson told police at the time that he started a fire “for attention,” but didn’t intend to burn the house down, the complaint said.

Swenson has a criminal history that dates back to 1995. Convictions include felony drug possession, contempt of court, DWI, obstructing legal process, shoplifting and fleeing a police officer.

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