*Man wanted in Winchester arrested in Washington state

By Alex Bridges -- abridges@nvdaily.com

WINCHESTER -- Authorities in Washington state on Wednesday caught a convicted sex offender wanted by law enforcement in Winchester.

A tip given to Crime Solvers indicated James Albert McWilliams may have traveled to Washington to see an acquaintance, according to James Galbreath, an investigator with the Frederick County Sheriff's Office. Galbreath said Wednesday afternoon the sheriff's office passed the information on to the U.S. Marshal's office in Harrisonburg, which then contacted agents in that state.

Authorities found McWilliams in Sequim and apprehended the fugitive without incident, Galbreath said. They arrested the man on the warrant out of Winchester Circuit Court, where he is charged with violating his probation for failing to register with the Virginia State Police as a violent sex offender, he said.

State police also have charged McWilliams with failing to register as a sex offender.

McWilliams, 54, was last known to live in a wooded area near Berryville Pike and Cole Lane in Frederick County.

McWilliams was convicted in March 1999 of two counts of forcible sodomy involving a minor victim.

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