Tip Leads to Arrest of Jasper County Fugitive in North Carolina

Photos released by the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office show Jacob Hunter James, left, and his grandfather, William Bret McCollister. James was taken into custody in North Carolina following a tip, and McCollister was charged with harboring a fugitive. (Courtesy Jasper County Sheriff’s Office)

A Jasper County fugitive was taken into custody in North Carolina early Thursday morning after a tip led law enforcement to his location, according to Jasper County Sheriff Chuck Havard.

On January 15, 2026, at approximately 6:45 a.m., Sheriff Havard received credible information indicating that Jacob Hunter James, 18, of Jasper, was in Robinsville, North Carolina. James was wanted out of Jasper County on felony charges, including Tampering with Electronic Monitoring and Burglary.

Sheriff Havard immediately contacted Brad Hoxit, Sheriff of Graham County Sheriff’s Office, along with Chief Deputy Travis Brooks.

Authorities in North Carolina promptly deployed an operations response team to the reported location. Upon arrival, James was taken into custody without incident.

In addition to James’ arrest, his grandfather, William Bret McCollister, 58, of North Carolina, was charged with Harboring a Fugitive. According to investigators, McCollister allegedly traveled to Jasper County, took custody of James, and transported him back to North Carolina in an effort to avoid arrest. Additional charges may be pending.

James is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

Sheriff Havard stated that the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office has spent numerous man-hours attempting to locate James and credited the public for once again providing information that led to an arrest—this time across state lines.

“I want to thank Sheriff Brad Hoxit and Chief Deputy Brooks for their quick response, and we appreciate our out-of-state partners tremendously,” Havard said. “We are still investigating to determine whether anyone in Jasper County assisted in harboring James. If we can prove they did, they will be arrested and charged as well.”

Sheriff Havard added that James will be extradited back to Jasper County in the near future to face the charges against him.

“No matter where our fugitives are located, we will hunt them down and bring them back to Jasper County so they can answer for their charges,” Havard said.