Wisconsin Badger alum and Olympic Trials qualifier Austin Byrd was arrested in Madison last weekend on suspicion of attempted burglary, disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property.
According to the City of Madison Police Department, Byrd was arrested right around midnight on Saturday, October 22. A 22-year-old woman says she was studying in her apartment late Saturday night when she heard pounding at her door, followed by two separate sounds of glass breaking. The woman could hear a man’s voice, and realized her bedroom window had been broken. She quickly left the apartment.
Meanwhile several neighbors had heard the noises and made calls to 911. Based on descriptions of the suspect, police were able to find Byrd nearby with what is termed as “a significant cut to his arm.” Byrd was first taken to the hospital for treatment on his cut, then was taken to jail on suspicion of attempted burglary, disorderly conduct and two counts of criminal damage to property. The woman’s bedroom window was broken and some damage was found on a common door to the woman’s apartment complex. The police report says the woman herself suffered a minor cut to her finger from a shard of glass.
Byrd is 22 years old and graduated from the University of Wisconsin in the spring of 2016. He competed for the Badgers all four of his collegiate seasons, including qualifying for the 2016 NCAA Championships. Byrd doesn’t have any registered swims in USA Swimming’s database since the 2016 Olympic Trials.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Byrd worked this summer as a high performance camp counselor for the University of Wisconsin, a swim coach for Bishops Bay country Club, and is currently employed as a Business Office Intern for University of Wisconsin Athletics.
There is not yet a record in Wisconsin’s circuit court system for any official charges filed against Byrd for the incident. A call to the Wisconsin Athletic Department about Byrd’s current employment status has not yet been returned.
