Wanted suspect found in Indiana

RUSSELLVILLE — A Haleyville man who had been on the lamb for 18 months, will get a chance to stand trial after being accused in 2022 of firstdegree sodomy and sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years old.

Paul Austin Trankle, 22, was located by Indiana authorities two weeks ago. He has since been extradited and was booked into the Franklin County Jail on Feb. 25, according to Franklin County Sgt. Kyle Palmer.

Trankle was arrested July 13, 2022, and charged with sodomy and sexual abuse of a 5-year-old. The incidents took place between May 1, 2022, and July 13, 2022, according to court records.

Trankle, who was 18 at the time of his arrest, applied for youthful offender status following his indictment in December 2022.

Circuit Court Judge Brian P. Hamilton denied Trankle youthful offender status on Jan. 30, 2024, and set his trial date for Aug. 12, 2024.

Trankle was required to attend a pre-trial hearing on July 31, 2024, but failed to do so.

Hamilton then issued a bench warrant for Trankle’s arrest on Aug. 15, 2024. He has not been seen by law enforcement since Sept. 15, 2022, when he bonded out of jail.

Palmer said a transport service went to Indiana to pick Trankle up, and he was booked into the jail Wednesday night.

Franklin County District Attorney Jeff Barksdale said his office will ask the judge to keep Trankle in jail until his next court date “because he’s a flight risk.”

Barksdale said he anticipates the judge setting a pre-trial conference for Trankle sometime in March.