DOTHAN, Ala. (WDHN) — A Dothan man is behind bars and has been charged with first degree attempted rape, fifty counts of voyeurism, burglary, and aggravated criminal surveillance.
On July 10, Dothan Police Department arrested John Thomas Uda, 27, after he broke into a residence at the 100 Block of Blissett Drive, near Abbey Oaks Apartments. The victim was home and told police she had been assaulted by Uda and he stole her gaming console.
Police were able to link Uda to the burglary of the console after he sold the device.
During the interviews with Uda, not only did he confess to authorities of the burglary but also to several other disturbing and lewd criminal actions.
Dothan police immediately executed a search warrant to his home and collected over 400 articles of female undergarments and multiple electronic devices that had numerous images of women shown in a provocative manner. Several devices are currently being forensically analyzed. More charges could be added while the investigation is still underway.
Alabama law states voyeurism first degree is criminalizing the taking of a video or photo depicting intimate areas of a person without that person’s consent, which went into effect in 2019. Prior to the law, voyeurism was not a crime in Alabama.
“There were facts and circumstances with the physical evidence on the night of the burglary on July 10th,” Dothan Police Lt. Scott Owens said, “That led us to believe that one of his motivations for him to be in there, was to sexually assault the victim.”
Lt. Owens told WDHN, had the victim not fought back, things could have gotten worse.
In a separate incident, Uda has also been charged with aggravated criminal surveillance, allegations from a separate victim stated Uda offered her a ride home and he waited after he dropped her off and attempted to watch her undress through her windows, police said.
Uda is also facing two counts of illegal possession and use of a credit card, investigators found photos of debit card numbers, drivers license and other material on his phone.
Uda is currently in the Houston County Jail, his estimate bond could total close to a million dollars.