Grandfather charged with harboring out-of-state suspect
Jacob Hunter James
Snowbird – A tip from 785 miles away led to Graham County deputies arresting a fugitive that had fled custody.
Jacob Hunter James of Atlanta, Texas, was arrested Jan. 15 without incident after the Jasper County, Texas Sheriff's Office received intel that the 18-year-old James was staying at a residence off Snowbird Road in Graham County. Jasper County Sheriff Chuck Havard made an early-morning phone call to the Graham County Sheriff's Office, which quickly dispatched a response team to the home.
James was listed in a press release from the Jasper County Sheriff's Office as a resident of Jasper, Texas, where he was wanted on one count of tampering with electronic monitoring and an outstanding warrant for burglary – both felonies. Graham County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Travis Brooks told The Graham Star that Hames had allegedly cut an ankle monitor before fleeing his home state.
Also arrested at the Snowbird Road residence was 57-year-old William Bret McCollister. Identified as James' grandfather by the Jasper County Sheriff's Office, McCollister is alleged to have made the 785-mile trek to Jasper to pick up James and bring him back to Graham County – in an attempt to elude arrest.
"Once again, the public has helped us track down another wanted fugitive. This time, even in another state," Havard
said in the press release."I want to thank (Graham County) Sheriff Brad Hoxit and Chief Deputy Brooks for their quick response and we appreciate our out-of-state partners tremendously. We are still investigating to ascertain if anyone in Jasper County helped harbor James, if we can prove they have, they will be arrested and charged with harboring as well.
"No matter where our fugitives are located, we will hunt them down and go get them and bring them back to Jasper County so they can answer for their chargers. He will be extradited back to Jasper County very soon."
Graham County deputies also charged McCollister with three felonies: possession of cocaine; harboring an escapee; and possession of a firearm by a felon. A .22-caliber rifle was located at McCollister's home; he was convicted of burglary of a habitat in Tyler County, Texas on April 25, 2007 and served one year in prison for the felony.
"This is another prime example of how we cooperate with other agencies to fight crime and drugs in our county and our country," the Graham County Sheriff's Office added in a Friday Facebook post about the arrests.
More charges are expected to be assessed to both individuals.