Clay County man arrested after stalking and assaulting woman

Richard Earl Hayes

A 45-year-old Lineville man wanted for allegedly stalking, kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman has been taken into custody by U.S. Marshals and the Cleburne County Sheriff's Department.  Police have charged Richard Earl Hayes with stalking, kidnapping and sexual assault.  Officers say Hayes was sending, flowers, threatening texts and emails to the 42-year-old female victim for the past 10 days.  Irondale police say Hayes allegedly stalked a woman for days before kidnapping and sexually assaulting her this week. Police say On Tuesday, Hayes forced the victim to pull over on a road somewhere in St. Clair County, then kidnapped and sexually assaulted her. The attack happened sometime between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.  Police say Most of the stalking has happened in Jefferson County. Police believe Hayes or his associates may have been watching the victim's house. Detectives say Hayes didn't know his victim directly, but believe he may have some connection to the victim's boyfriend.