Serial Sex Criminal Allegedly Strikes Again in Tuscaloosa, Assaulting UA Student

A serial sex offender reportedly struck again in Tuscaloosa Wednesday night when he knocked a University of Alabama student to the ground and stole some of her underwear, police said Thursday.

Captain Jack Kennedy, the commander of the multi-agency Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, said a female UA student was walking along University Boulevard around 7:30 p.m. when she was attacked from behind.

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Kennedy said a man believed to be 24-year-old Tuscaloosa man John Threadgill, knocked the victim to the ground, touched her criminally and ripped away parts of her inner shorts.

The suspect fled with the clothing, and UAPD responded and took a report.

Kennedy said the incident was captured on video and was a violent assault.

The VCU, which investigates all sexual crimes in the area, worked with UAPD to identify Threadgill, who has a long history of similar behavior in the area. Kennedy said the VCU arrested Threadgill just last July for first-degree sexual abuse.

He was also arrested in 2018 for allegedly attacking a woman jogging near UA's campus and, in a separate incident, breaking into a woman's house to steal her underwear.

The Tuscaloosa News reported then that Threadgill told police he has a fetish for such nonconsensual behavior.

Threadgill reportedly left Tuscaloosa after the Wednesday night attack and was reported to be in the area of Auburn University.

Kennedy said the VCU and Auburn Police Department arrested Threadgill around noon Thursday.

His bond on all previous open cases has been revoked, he is charged with new counts of first-degree sexual abuse and third-degree robbery and Kennedy said  Threadgill faces several charges with Auburn Police that he received during his arrest there.

After those cases are resolved, he will be brought to Tuscaloosa to be jailed without bond.

"Due to the nature of these assaults, and known proclivities of these types of offenders, we encourage anyone who may have been a victim, or knows of any possible abuse by Threadgill to please contact the Violent Crimes Unit at 205-464-8690," Kennedy said.