Suspect in Clayton County rape, child molestation arrested in New Jersey

(Clayton County Sheriffs Office)

A man accused of rape and child molestation in Clayton County is in custody after officials say he was caught in New Jersey. 

Authorities say shortly after 2 a.m. on Feb. 13, 2022, officers responded to a scene of a crime in Morrow, Georgia.

The investigation continued for months until officials say they gathered enough evidence to identify the suspect in the crime as Mark Anthony Thomas.

Deputies with the Clayton County Elite Stalking Unit tracked Thomas to a home in Newark, New Jersey, where officers with the Newark Police Department arrested the man.

"Soon, deputies will go to Newark to give Thomas a free ride to the Clayton County Jail," a spokesperson for the Clayton County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Thomas now faces charges of rape, aggravated sodomy, and aggravated child molestation.