Former Officer Used Backpage.Com To Find Rape Victims: Cops

SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- The former Alabama corrections officer who is charged with sexually assaulting women in metro Atlanta used two websites, including the now defunct Backpage.com, to find his alleged victims. That's according to the Sandy Springs Police Department, which released new details about its investigation into Matthew Lee Moore, who was arrested March 30 by the agency for an assault on a woman at a hotel in 2015.

Assistant Police Chief Keith Zgonc also said Moore has been identified as the suspect in a June 2010 attack on a woman at the Extended Stay's Atlanta Perimeter Hotel at 1050 Hammond Drive. Detectives have now charged him with rape, impersonating an officer, aggravated sodomy, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and aggravated assault with intent to rape for that case.

Moore, St. Clair County, Alabama, already faces charges of aggravated sodomy, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, aggravated assault with intent to rape, two counts of aggravated assault and false imprisonment for an alleged assault on a woman that occurred in November 2015 at a Sandy Springs hotel.

Zgonc noted Moore would arrange meetings with victims using Craigslist and Backpage.com, which was shut down earlier this month as the FBI began investigating the website's links to sex trafficking. In the 2010 case, Moore met his victim through an ad he placed on Craigslist. He maintained that same MO with the 2015 case, but used Backpage.com to solicit sexual services from women, the assistant chief said.

Following the 2015 case, detectives began researching if similar incidents were reported around the region and submitted DNA taken from the crime scenes to the FBI and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Division of Forensic Sciences for testing. Those samples came back as a hit, allegedly tying Moore to the two cases. Those samples also matched evidence submitted by other jurisdictions for their respective sexual assault incidents.

“This case is a perfect example of how federal, state and local law enforcement officers can partner, work well together, coordinate their efforts and solve a case that’s important to solve," Zgonc said.

Moore's DNA profile matched a hit submitted by Cobb County police investigators following a 2010 assault on a woman at an apartment. According to Cobb County arrest warrant signed on April 12, Matthew Lee Moore entered a woman's apartment on Akers Mill Road and assaulted her on Feb. 6, 2010.

The warrant states Moore allegedly entered the apartment unit armed with a handgun, pointed the weapon at the victim, grabbed her by the hair and forced her to perform sexual acts. It also accused Moore of impersonating an officer by entering the unit with a badge and handgun and identifying himself to the victim as a Cobb County police officer.

Cobb County police charged Moore with aggravated sodomy, aggravated assault, impersonating an officer, false imprisonment, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and home invasion in the first degree. Sgt. Wayne Delk, a spokesperson with the Cobb County Police Department, said Moore apparently met the woman earlier in the day before stopping by her apartment to commit the alleged attack.

“He was not in a uniform that we would wear," he said, adding it's unclear if the firearm allegedly used in the assault was issued by the Alabama Department of Corrections or was his personal handgun.

Along with Fulton and Cobb counties, Moore is also suspected in committing sexual assaults in Homewood, Alabama (2008); Birmingham, Alabama (2010); and this year in Jupiter, Florida. Sandy Springs' assistant police chief stressed that any victims who may have had contact with Moore to come forward -- no matter the circumstances of how they met the suspect.

Sandy Springs detective William Johnson, who characterized Moore as a "violent sexual predator," said investigators continue to work the case, including whether he had any connections to the metro Atlanta area.

Amy Ferguson of the Fulton County District Attorney Office's Crimes Against Women and Children's Unit said now that Moore has been arrested, she hopes more women will feel safer coming forward and sharing their stories.

I hope every woman knows "that the District Attorney’s Office here and, hopefully the others, are always open to doing what we can to assist them.”

Moore was employed at the St. Clair Correctional Facility in Springville and had been with Alabama Department of Corrections since 2001. That state agency previously told Patch he immediately resigned from his position at the time of his arrest.

Moore was extradited to Georgia and was booked into the Fulton County jail on April 2. Those jail records show he was booked into the facility on one count each of rape and impersonating an officer, two counts each of aggravated sodomy, aggravated assault with intent to rape and false imprisonment and three counts of possession of a firearm/knife during the commission of a felony.

Along with the alleged November 2015 incident, the charges filed against Moore stem from the June 2010 incident, according to jail records. He remains held without bond.

Potential victims are asked to contact Johnson at 770-551-3314.

Image via Fulton County Jail