Texas Top 10 Most Wanted Man Arrested After Months on the Run

AUSTIN, TX — A Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitive accused of sexual assault in Texas and rape-related offenses in Oklahoma has been captured in southeastern Oklahoma after spending months on the run, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

James Lee Kirby, 49, was arrested July 17 at a remote campsite near Broken Bow Lake in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, just over a week after being added to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list.

According to DPS, members of the U.S. Marshals Service Eastern District of Oklahoma Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force and the U.S. Marshals Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force located Kirby after developing investigative information. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol Tactical Team assisted with the arrest, which authorities said occurred without incident.

Kirby had been wanted in Bryan County, Oklahoma, since Feb. 2 on a warrant alleging failure to appear stemming from previous charges of first-degree rape and incest.

He was also wanted in Grayson County, Texas, where an arrest warrant was issued June 2 charging him with one count of aggravated sexual assault and two counts of sexual assault, according to DPS.

Authorities said Kirby was arrested in Grayson County on Nov. 5, 2024, on an aggravated sexual assault charge. He later posted bond and was released from jail.

According to DPS, while Kirby was on pretrial release for the Oklahoma charges, his GPS monitoring device stopped functioning shortly before his scheduled trial date in early 2026, and he had remained at large until his arrest.

Because the arrest did not result from a Crime Stoppers tip, no Texas Crime Stoppers reward will be paid, DPS said.

The arrest involved assistance from multiple local, state and federal agencies, including the Texas Department of Public Safety, U.S. Marshals Service, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the sheriff's offices in Bryan County, Oklahoma, and Grayson County, Texas.

The charges against Kirby are allegations. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

According to DPS, 49 Texas 10 Most Wanted fugitives, sex offenders and criminal illegal immigrants have been arrested so far in 2026, including 35 sex offenders and eight gang members. Crime Stoppers has paid $61,500 in rewards for tips leading to arrests this year.