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LIMESTONE COUNTY-On October 8, 2026, investigators with the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division (CID) were notified of a reported forcible rape. Investigators immediately began working the case and identified Hayden Blake Rose, 24, of Athens, Alabama, as the suspect.
During the investigation, evidence was collected, and investigators established probable cause to obtain an arrest warrant for Rose. CID investigators, working alongside the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team, began efforts to locate him. Rose was taken into custody later that day.
On October 14, 2026, Rose pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge of Robbery 3rd Degree and received a 10-year sentence. He will remain in custody serving that sentence while the Rape 1st Degree charge is pending.
Statement from Sheriff Joshua McLaughlin:
“I want to commend our Criminal Investigation Division and SWAT team for their professionalism, teamwork, and dedication throughout this investigation. Cases involving sexual violence require thorough investigative work and a coordinated response, and our personnel demonstrated their commitment to pursuing justice and holding offenders accountable. I am proud of the work our deputies and investigators do every day to protect the citizens of Limestone County and ensure that reports of these serious crimes are investigated thoroughly.”
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An arrest is not a conviction. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Media Release/Limestone County Sheriff’s Office
