Police: Man stole handgun, pickup, and potato chips from Swisher homes

SWISHER - A Shellsburg man has been accused of taking a handgun from one Swisher home and then stealing a getaway vehicle from a different residence.

According to Johnson County Sheriff's Office complaints, at 9:20 a.m. Thursday, a homeowner on the 1700 block of Amana Road found 40-year-old Tommy Duffer sleeping in the back seat of the owner's pickup truck.

When the owner called the police, Duffer, who had already eaten the homeowner's potato chips, fled with the resident's handgun and two loaded magazine clips - which were located in the truck's center console, police say.

Unable to procure a ride to Cedar Rapids, Duffer broke into a nearby home on the 1600 block of Amana Road and stole a laptop, sweat shirt and the resident's pickup truck, police say.

About two hours later, police located Duffer driving the stolen pickup near the intersection of 66th Avenue and Tennessee Drive in Cedar Rapids, but the night wasn't over: Duffer tried to elude officers, driving the truck through a bean field and into a ditch before attempting to flee on foot, according to police.

Police say Duffer was wearing the stolen sweat shirt and found in possession of one of the stolen .40 caliber magazines. Duffer would not say what happened to the stolen gun, which still is missing, police say.

All told, Duffer has been charged with a Class C felony for second-degree burglary, a Class D felony for second-degree theft, an aggravated misdemeanor for third-degree burglary and serious misdemeanor for fourth degree theft.

Duffer was booked at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the Johnson County Jail. He was still in custody Friday morning.