AUSTIN – The reward for Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitive James Mark Bishop, who is this month’s featured fugitive, has been increased to $8,500 for information leading to his arrest if tips are received during the month of March. Bishop, 49, is wanted for continuous sexual assault of a child, indecency with a child and knowingly downloading child pornography. All tips are guaranteed to be anonymous.
Bishop, of Tulia, has been wanted since July 2021, when the Tulia Police Department issued two warrants for continuous sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child. The Texas County Sheriff’s Office in Oklahoma also issued a warrant to revoke Bishop’s probation for five counts of knowingly downloading child pornography.
Bishop was a deputy with the Texas County Sheriff’s Office in 2005 when he was arrested for sexual exploitation of a child. He was convicted in 2007 on five counts of knowingly downloading child pornography. In 2011, Bishop was released from prison. He was placed on probation and subsequently moved to Tulia, Texas. In 2020, Bishop was arrested in Tulia for continuous sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child by sexual contact for incidents involving a 12-year-old girl. He was added to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List on Oct. 19, 2021.
Bishop is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs about 245 pounds. He is trained in martial arts and may be using false identifications. For more information or updates in the event of his arrest, view his wanted bulletin.
Texas Crime Stoppers, which is funded by the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division, offers cash rewards to any person who provides information that leads to the arrest of one of Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Fugitives or Sex Offenders. So far in 2022, DPS and other agencies have arrested 12 people off the lists, including four gang members and seven sex offenders. In addition, $32,500 in rewards has been paid for tips that yielded arrests.
To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters MUST provide information to authorities using one of the following three methods:
- Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).
- Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about then clicking on the link under their picture.
- Submit a Facebook tip by clicking the “SUBMIT A TIP” link (under the “About” section).
All tips are anonymous — regardless of how they are submitted — and tipsters will be provided a tip number instead of using a name.
DPS investigators work with local law enforcement agencies to select fugitives for the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives and Sex Offenders Lists. You can find the current lists — with photos — on the DPS website.
Do not attempt to apprehend these fugitives; they are considered armed and dangerous.
