Texas Fugitive Wanted on Sex Crimes Charges Vanished After GPS Monitor Went Dark

A Predator on the Run

The Texas Department of Public Safety has added James Lee Kirby to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List. The 49-year-old Sherman man isn't just accused of one crime — he's facing a mounting stack of serious charges across two states, and authorities have been unable to locate him for months. His disappearance has a disturbing twist: he was being electronically monitored when he vanished.

In early 2026, while Kirby was on pre-trial release for first-degree rape and incest charges out of Oklahoma, his GPS monitoring device stopped operating right before the trial date, and he has been missing ever since. That detail — a court-ordered ankle monitor going dark at the most critical moment — raises serious questions about the gaps in electronic supervision systems meant to keep communities safe.

A Pattern of Charges Spanning Two States

Kirby has been wanted out of Bryan County, Oklahoma, since February 2, 2026, for failure to appear, resulting from prior charges of first-degree rape and incest. On June 2, 2026, another warrant was issued out of Grayson County, Texas, for his arrest for one count of aggravated sexual assault and two counts of sexual assault. That's a total of four active warrants across state lines, painting a picture of an alleged repeat offender who has repeatedly slipped through the cracks of the justice system.

On November 5, 2024, Kirby was arrested in Grayson County for aggravated sexual assault. Several weeks later, he posted bond and was released from jail. His release on bond — followed by his eventual disappearance while on pre-trial supervision — underscores a pattern that has frustrated law enforcement and victims' advocates alike: accused violent offenders cycling back into communities while awaiting trial.

Who Authorities Are Looking For

Kirby is described as 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing between 250 and 300 pounds. He is a physically imposing figure with several distinctive identifying marks. He has a tattoo of an animal skull with the words "SIZE MATTERS" on his upper right arm and a tattoo of an animal in scope crosshairs on his upper left arm, along with other tattoos on his lower right arm, lower left arm, right hand/thumb, and lower left leg. Kirby is reported to be an avid hunter with access to firearms, a detail that authorities clearly want the public to keep in mind. He has ties to both Sherman, Texas, and Cartwright, Oklahoma.

A Reward and a Call for Tips

Texas Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $7,500 for information leading to his arrest. All tips are guaranteed to be anonymous. Tipsters must submit information through one of three methods to be eligible for cash rewards: by calling 1-800-252-TIPS (8477), submitting a web tip through the DPS website, or submitting a Facebook tip through the "SUBMIT A TIP" link.

So far in 2026, DPS and other agencies have arrested 45 Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, Sex Offenders, and Criminal Illegal Immigrants, including 33 sex offenders and eight gang members — with $61,500 in rewards being paid for tips that yielded arrests. That track record shows the program works, and Kirby's case is exactly the kind where a single anonymous tip could make the difference. The longer a fugitive with this many serious charges remains at large, the greater the potential risk to communities on both sides of the Texas-Oklahoma border.