A Texas man who was wanted in that state for alleged sex crimes involving a minor was arrested Sunday morning by Maine State Police and a Texas ranger.

James Helms Photo courtesy of News Center Maine WCSH/WLBZ

Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said 45-year-old James M. Helms was taken into custody at a home on Route 1 in the Waldo County town of Northport.

McCausland in a statement said Helms is being held at the Waldo County Jail on a fugitive from justice charge. He will be extradited to Texas where he will face the sex crime charges.

Helms had been living in Maine for the past year and was working as a handyman in the midcoast region. He fled Brownwood, Texas, last year during an investigation by the Texas Rangers into the allegations.

The Maine State Police computer crimes unit seized three cellphones from Helms and will review the phones for any evidence that might link him to the crimes in Texas or to images he may have downloaded while in Maine.

Members of the Maine State Police, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, Waldo County Sheriff’s Office and a Texas ranger participated in Sunday’s raid on the Northport home.

Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:

[email protected]

 

 

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