January 28, 2026

Alabama Church Security Guard Accused of Raping Child

By Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News

January 28, 2026

HOOVER, Ala. A church security stands accused of raping a child after being arrested by a multi-agency law enforcement operation.
Police said that the arrest shut down a stretch of U.S. Highway 31 in Hoover on Monday.

Thomas Raburn Farris of Leeds was the subject of an investigation that accused him of raping a child in Tuscaloosa County, authorities said.

The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit confirmed the suspect, Farris, 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 he failed to appear in court.
That’s when the U.S. Marshals Service began searching for him.

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.

Police from multiple jurisdictions have been tracking the whereabouts of Farris and on Monday, it all came together, police said.

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.