INTERLACHEN, Fla. – A 29-year-old Interlachen man was arrested late last night after deputies say he assaulted his former girlfriend, stole her vehicle, and later barricaded himself inside her home, prompting a several-hour standoff before surrendering.
Austin Lee McGowan was taken into custody on an active warrant charging him with grand theft, battery by strangulation, robbery of a residence, and grand theft of a vehicle. He also faces additional charges of burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and resisting officers without violence following the standoff, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
The charges stem from a January 11 incident in which the victim told deputies she entered her Interlachen home and McGowan, her ex-boyfriend, suddenly appeared from behind a wall. She reported that McGowan grabbed her and took her phone, then chased her as she attempted to flee the residence.
According to the report, the victim made it to the front yard before McGowan caught her, pushed her to the ground, and began choking her. She told deputies she feared for her life during the attack. McGowan allegedly left the scene afterward, broke into the victim’s vehicle, and drove away.
Deputies said they were able to contact McGowan by phone following the incident, but he refused to meet with law enforcement. The victim’s vehicle was located yesterday afternoon at the intersection of Marion Avenue and Osprey Lane in Interlachen. When the victim arrived, she told deputies her phone had been left in a mailbox at the front of her residence.
Later that evening, McGowan attempted to contact the victim, prompting deputies to respond to the home. Authorities say McGowan fled inside the residence and refused to come out, leading to a standoff that lasted several hours. Shortly before 11:30 p.m., McGowan emerged from the attic and was arrested without further incident.
“We have a person who has exhibited increasingly violent behavior to women, which would have continued to escalate,” Sheriff H.D. “Gator” DeLoach said. “Choking someone unconscious is not love, no matter how many times the abuser apologizes.”
McGowan was transported to the Putnam County Jail, where he is being held without bond.
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