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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) — The Tuscaloosa Police Department confirmed Tuesday a man wanted for multiple sexual assaults near the University of Alabama campus has been arrested after 13 years.

TPD sent out a press release detailing the arrest of Alexander Velazquez Hernandez, 37, who faces charges of first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse, first-degree burglary and attempted burglary.

Between July 2008 and March 2009, an unknown subject committed a series of sexual assaults
against University of Alabama students living in an apartment complex on Reed Street, located near
University Blvd.

The first incident was reported in July 2008. The suspect, posing as the maintenance worker for the apartment, was able to enter the victim’s unit. After the suspect confirmed the victim was alone in the apartment, he sexually assaulted her. The victim was able to describe her attacker as a Hispanic male but TPD was unable to identify the suspect despite extensive investigation.

On Feb. 24, 2009, the suspect posed as a maintenance worker again to commit his crimes. The first resident he made contact with refused his entry into her apartment. He came back to the complex later the same day and sexually assaulted the sole female occupant of a different unit after gaining entry via his false identity.

All three victims gave similar descriptions of the suspect. A DNA sample from a questioned individual was found to be a match to DNA recovered from the crime scenes. The suspect was identified as Velazquez-Hernandez. However, efforts to locate Velazquez-Hernandez were unsuccessful and it was believed that he may have fled the United States and returned to Mexico.

TPD passed along the case’s information to members of the US Attorney’s Office, the United States Marshal Service, and Mexican law enforcement agencies to locate and arrest Velazquez-Hernandez. New information was received earlier this year on his whereabouts. With the cooperation and efforts of the Mexican Federal Police, Alexander Velazquez-Hernandez was located and detained in Mexico.

Velazquez-Hernandez was turned over to the custody of the US Marshals Tuesday morning. He is currently being transported to Tuscaloosa County to be committed to jail and face trial for his crimes. Because of his flight risk, he is being held without bond.