POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A Fort Meade man faces multiple charges, including Burglary of a Dwelling and Resisting, following an early Sunday morning incident involving two reported car burglaries. The suspect, 27-year-old Rashad William Austile, Jr., was apprehended after a brief attempt to evade detectives.
Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) deputies first responded to reports of burglaries in the Fort Meade area around 5:23 a.m. on Sunday, October 12th. The burglar was gone upon their arrival.
Detectives arrived to take over the investigation and quickly developed a lead when an individual at the scene recognized the suspect as Austile, Jr., a Fort Meade resident.
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When detectives proceeded to Austile’s home, the encounter quickly escalated. According to the PCSO, Austile immediately bolted out the back door and fled on foot. He was located a short time later, hiding inside a truck, and taken into custody.
Following his arrest, Austile told detectives that he had been under the influence of alcohol and had taken a Xanax bar earlier in the night, causing him to black out. He stated that he only remembered his friends dropping him off at his home and could not recall his actions for the remainder of the time.
Austile, Jr. was arrested and booked on charges including:
- Burglary of a Dwelling
- Burglary of Conveyance
- Attempted Burglary of Conveyance
- Petit Theft 2nd Offense
- Resisting
The current charges mark Austile’s second recent theft-related offense, as he had a prior theft conviction in January 2024. Furthermore, at the time of the recent arrest, Austile was reportedly out on bond stemming from a separate loitering and prowling arrest that occurred on August 16th.
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