PINELLAS COUNTY — Detectives assigned to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit have arrested a suspect connected to a 1998 armed sexual battery investigation.
According to investigators, the case began on March 8, 1998, when a 20-year-old woman was at a club in Ybor City with friends before leaving the club alone. Detectives say she was approached outside by two unknown men who offered her a ride home to Pinellas County.
Investigators say that after one of the men was dropped off, the remaining suspect drove toward Pinellas County and stopped in a wooded area on the north side of the Gandy Bridge. When the victim attempted to leave the vehicle, the suspect allegedly locked the doors and repeatedly struck her in the face.
Detectives say the suspect sexually battered the victim while threatening her with a firearm. The suspect reportedly assaulted her several more times, threatened to kill her if she contacted law enforcement, and ordered her out of the vehicle before driving away toward Tampa.
After escaping from the vehicle, the victim flagged down a passerby, who drove her to a nearby business where 911 was called. Deputies responded to the scene, and due to the severity of her injuries, the victim was transported to a hospital for treatment.
Following a Sexual Assault Victim Examination (SAVE), detectives collected DNA evidence that was submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). Investigators developed a DNA profile and uploaded it into state and national databases, but no matches were identified at the time.
In October 2018, FDLE announced a new genetic genealogy initiative and accepted the case for genealogy mapping the following year. Detectives say the process allowed investigators to work backward from identified relatives to locate the unknown suspect.
In September 2021, FDLE provided detectives with three names connected to the suspect’s family tree. Detectives continued investigating those leads and gathered additional information related to the case.
According to investigators, in April 2026, the FDLE Genetic Genealogy Team uncovered new information that ultimately led detectives to identify 53-year-old Lester Austin III of Tampa as the suspect. Through additional investigative techniques, detectives confirmed his identity.
On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, members of the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force located Austin at his Tampa residence and took him into custody.
Austin was transported to the Pinellas County Jail and charged with two counts of Armed Sexual Battery.