Lisa Marchesoni
Posted: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 3:46 pm

A man charged with four counts of rape and burglary of a 25-year-old woman Sunday on Bradyville Pike is no stranger to Murfreesboro Police.

Defendant Joseph Michael Thomas, 24, of Bradyville Pike was charged after police identified him from a video surveillance camera.

Detective Wayne Lawson accused Thomas of breaking into the woman’s home and raping her four different times. He is being held on $500,000 bond at Rutherford County Adult Detention Center.

Murfreesboro Police Records showed Thomas was either arrested or cited into court 15 times since 2005.

Charges ranged from aggravated burglary in 2006 when Officer Michael Reeves found Thomas asleep on the bed in a model apartment at Chelsea Place to citations for stealing steaks from Kroger’s. He was also charged twice with violating probation.

He served time in the state Department of Correction but his sentence ended in 2008.