HOUSTON – A wanted fugitive who previously escaped from custody after being taken to a hospital is back in custody following an arrest at a southeast Houston hotel, according to the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office.
On Dec. 24, 2025, deputies with Constable Mark Herman’s Special Operations Unit, Criminal Investigations Division, and the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force located James Willis III at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel in the 9100 block of the Gulf Freeway.
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Investigators say Willis was wanted after escaping custody on Dec. 20 while being treated at Houston Northwest Hospital.
Authorities say Willis had been under arrest for aggravated assault of a family member, burglary, felon in possession of a firearm, and violation of bond and a protective order in a family violence case.
When deputies attempted to serve felony warrants at the hotel, officials say Willis tried to evade arrest by forcing open an exterior door and fleeing on foot.
A Precinct 4 canine, identified as R.E. Moore, was deployed and quickly apprehended Willis outside the hotel room.
He was taken into custody and booked into the Harris County Jail for six county felony warrants and six out-of-county felony warrants from Dallas County, Constable Mark Herman said in a statement.