Woman charged with stalking after alleged swatting incidents

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Rachael Jaime Austin, 32, was arrested yesterday and charged with stalking after allegedly making multiple false reports of crimes at her ex-boyfriend’s apartment.

The victim, who previously dated Austin for two weeks, told an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Detective that the first incident was on December 16, when he found a hand-written note on his apartment window that included an arrest report for Austin, signed by Austin. Austin was arrested in Connecticut on June 20, 2023, and charged with second-degree making a false incident report, disorderly conduct, and second-degree harassment.

The victim said he received a pizza on December 23 that hadn’t been paid for and was in the name of “Hitler Lover.” The detective reported that there was no evidence that Austin sent the pizza, but the time frame indicated that there was a “reasonable belief” that she sent it.

On December 30, the victim’s car was egged.

On December 31, an unknown man showed up at the victim’s apartment in the middle of the night and said he had matched with Austin on Tinder and she told him to meet her at the apartment. The victim said that Austin has never lived at that apartment.

On January 1, an unknown man showed up at the victim’s apartment in the middle of the night and similarly said he had met Austin on Tinder and was there to pick her up.

After midnight on January 17, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) received a call from a Pennsylvania phone number, reporting that the caller could hear a man and woman yelling in the apartment next door; the caller gave the victim’s apartment number, gave the victim’s name as the aggressor, and said the man was threatening to beat the woman. The caller also said the man had guns in the apartment.

When deputies arrived at the victim’s apartment, they found the victim asleep and alone in the apartment.

About four hours later, ACSO received another call from the same number; the caller said she woke up in the victim’s apartment and was unable to leave. Deputies again went to the victim’s apartment and found the victim asleep and alone.

About 20 minutes later, Santa Fe College Police Department (SFPD) received a call from the same Pennsylvania number; the caller provided the name of the victim in this case and said he had raped her. When an officer called the 352 number that the woman left as a call-back number, the woman who answered said her name was Rachael Austin and reportedly said she didn’t know why the police were calling her.

SFPD officers then called the Pennsylvania number; the person who responded said he was in Tampa and that nobody had called SFPD from that phone. That person also reported that Austin had stalked and harassed him in the past.

Austin has been charged with stalking, a misdemeanor. Judge Sheree Lancaster set bail at $250,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.