Reward increased for Panhandle fugitive

TULIA, Texas — The reward for a former sheriff’s deputy wanted for continuous sexual assault of a child in Texas has been increased to $8,500.

The Tulia Police Department in the Texas Panhandle issued warrants seeking the arrest of James Mark Bishop in July.

Bishop is one of Texas’ 10 most wanted fugitives, according to a news release from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The reward, from Texas Crime Stoppers, is for information leading to Bishop’s arrest if tips are received during the month of March.

Bishop, 49, is also wanted for indecency with a child and knowingly downloading child pornography. All tips are guaranteed to be anonymous, according to DPS.

Bishop was a deputy with the Texas County Sheriff’s Office in Oklahoma 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. 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.

Bishop is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs about 245 pounds. He is trained in martial arts and may be using false identifications. In addition to Tulia, Bishop also has ties to south Texas.

To report information about Bishop, tipsters can call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-252-8477.