Austin Wilson, a resident of Packwood, was arrested in Tama County on March 10. A sheriff’s deputy responded to Highway E66 near Chelsea after a call was placed stating that two individuals came to a local citizen’s house looking for help.

After arriving on the scene, the deputy found a black Ford Explorer in the ditch. The sheriff’s deputy noticed two people hiding in the tree line and beckoned them out. After speaking to the two individuals, Austin Wilson and Tabbitha Steagall, the two were transferred to the Marengo Hospital. It was then determined that the black Ford Explorer had been stolen from Illinois.

After a second interview with Tabbitha Steagall, it was learned that they crashed the Explorer while running away from the Benton County Sheriff’s Office. Steagall also admitted to helping Wilson steal gas from a farm on E66. Video has been found from the farm on E66 that puts both individuals at the scene.

Austin Wilson has been charged with interference with official acts and first-degree theft. At presstime, he is currently being held in the Tama County jail on a $10,000 bond.