HOOVER (AL)
ABC 33/40 [Birmingham, AL]
January 27, 2026
By Gracie Johnson
The multi-agency law enforcement operation that shut down a stretch of U.S. Highway 31 in Hoover on Monday was tied to the search for a man accused of first-degree rape in Tuscaloosa County, authorities said.
The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit confirmed the suspect as Thomas Raburn Farris of Leeds, who was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Apprehension Task Force.
Farris is charged with first-degree rape in a case involving a juvenile victim, according to court records. Investigators allege the assault occurred in 2020 in an outdoor playhouse/shed. The victim later gave birth to a child in Feb. 2021, and DNA testing determined Farris was the father, the documents state.
Court records show Farris was arrested in 2022 and released on a $35,000 bond. A judge revoked his bond on Jan. 14, 2026, after failure to appear. The U.S. Marshals Service began searching for him shortly afterward.
The motion to revoke bond also alleges Farris violated the conditions of his release by possessing a firearm. Prosecutors stated he obtained work as a church security officer in Birmingham and carried a gun, despite being prohibited from possessing firearms while out on bond.
On Monday, the U.S. Marshals requested assistance from Hoover police after determining Farris was believed to be staying at an extended-stay hotel in the 1800 block of Southpark Drive. Officers from the Pelham Police Department, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the Vestavia Hills Police Department assisted in the operation.
During the search and arrest, Pelham Parkway (U.S. Highway 31) was temporarily closed in both directions from the Pelham city limits to Valleydale Road while officers conducted traffic control near the scene. The roadway was later reopened.
Farris was booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail and is being held without bond.