Two sisters face serious criminal charges following a violent domestic dispute in Waukee that involved a stabbing and multiple children present in the home.
Destine Renea Swanson, 25, of Des Moines, and Jordan Marie Swanson, 27, of Waukee, were arrested Friday after warrants were issued earlier in the week stemming from an incident on the night of April 5.
According to court records, Waukee police officers responded to a domestic disturbance around 11:45 p.m. at a residence in the 300 block of Fourth Street. Investigators allege that Destine Swanson intervened in a physical altercation between her sister, Jordan Swanson, and Jordan’s boyfriend by grabbing a knife and stabbing the man in the knuckle.
Police observed a laceration on the victim’s knuckle as well as additional defensive wounds on his hands.
During the struggle, Destine’s 7-year-old daughter reportedly witnessed the altercation and attempted to intervene by jumping on the victim’s back. The victim allegedly shook the child off, causing her to hit the floor and suffer a bruise. Two other children, aged 5 years and 5 months, were asleep in a nearby bedroom during the incident.
Both sisters are now facing charges. Destine Swanson is charged with willful injury causing bodily injury, child endangerment resulting in bodily injury, and two additional counts of child endangerment. Jordan Swanson is charged with willful injury causing bodily injury and is accused of aiding and abetting the assault by instructing her sister to leave the scene with her children and misleading officers about the events of the night.
When police arrived, Jordan Swanson was reportedly cleaning blood from the hallway.
Warrants for both women were issued on April 9 in Dallas County District Court. They were taken into custody April 11. Destine Swanson is being held in the Dallas County Jail on a $10,000 cash or surety bond, while Jordan Swanson is held on a $5,000 bond. Both are scheduled for preliminary hearings on April 21.
Jordan Swanson has a prior conviction for domestic abuse assault from 2020 in Polk County. She is also facing an unresolved child endangerment charge related to a 2024 incident in which a 4-month-old in her care suffered a broken arm that was deemed non-accidental by medical personnel.
