By nightfall Tuesday law officers were seeking James Joseph Bishop, 29, of Travis County to return him to Burnet where he had been jailed in connection with a vicious burglary.

The victim of the crime was a grandmother of 6 who was bound and threatened with rape as she was robbed in her Marble Falls home in March. She went on the offensive last week after learning that the one attacker of four, that she considered most dangerous had not been indicted and had been released without bail or the ankle monitor dictated by the judge.

District Judge Guilford L. “Gil” Jones III said Tuesday that he had learned that Bishop violated at least two terms of his release and that a warrant had been ordered.

The prospect of Bishop’s re-arrest was cold comfort to Catherine Adair when she learned of the bench warrant from The Llano News.

“If people in the 33rd Judicial District think we have a good system for handling criminals, they are extremely mistaken,” said Adair, who had contacted television and newspaper reporters Friday. “What could be a higher priority than a first degree felony against a woman living alone threatened with rape, scared for her life?”

Adair said that a female accomplice waited in the car while three men broke a window and entered her home.

“Neither I, nor my dog, heard them,” she said. “I woke up at 4 a.m., pinned on the bed by a man with something over my mouth.”

Two of the attackers used the knife with which she was threatened, to cut cables on the flat-screen TV in the bedroom and rounded up thousands of dollars worth of possessions while the third man restrained her, she said. Although they did not follow through on the threat of rape, her attackers left Adair and her dog bound with duct tape in a closet that was sealed with more of the tape.

The four people charged with burglary of her home and intending other felonies were tracked down through evidence that seemed extensive to Adair. She was dismayed when she learned that the case still had not been taken to the Burnet County Grand Jury for indictments in June and that the jury would not reconvene until August.

By law, a suspect must be indicted or released on reasonable bond within 90 days of arrest for a felony. Bishop eluded local law enforcement when he was first sought in March and a Travis County Sheriff’s Department spokesman said that a tactical team had to be dispatched when he was finally taken into custody March 30.

By Friday Bishop had reached the 89th day of his incarceration in Burnet and his attorney, Tim Inman, filed the writ of habeas corpus to have him released.

Three suspects had been apprehended more readily in the case. Tabitha Ann Reece, 29, and Michael H. Hahn, 29, were released quickly on bail Joshua Cunningham, 19, remains in jail in Bexar County on a charge of unauthorized use of a vehicle.

Judge Jones said he was satisfied that Bishop could not pay even minimal surety bond before releasing him on personal recognizance. However, the judge said he acted quickly when he learned that Bishop spent the weekend at the home of a girlfriend in Burnet County.

He had ordered that Bishop maintain a curfew at the home of his mother in Travis County, never returning to Burnet County except for court and attorney dates. Jones had ordered the ankle monitor, but he said several days always are required to set up the monitoring system with a home telephone.

“I called the jail and found out they told him to come back July 7 for the ankle monitor,” said Adair. “They (her attackers) told me, ‘We know who you are and we’ll be back,’ and now they are just out there.”

Of the lack of an indictment she said, “The DA’s office told me they were sorry, that they have a heavy workload.”

District Attorney Sam Oatman said his office received information on the investigation completed by the Marble Falls Police Department on May 6, the day before the May Grand Jury was convened in Burnet County. The case still was not completed for presentation in June.

“It’s no excuse, but the work takes time, especially when there are several defendants” said Oatman. “I’m glad to know this suspect will be returned to jail, likely with a heavy bail, and will probably still be there when it is time for the next August grand jury.

“We take this case seriously and we will prosecute it vigorously.”

Adair would have liked to see a special grand jury session called and she took Bishop’s private attorney as evidence he would have had financial resources for bond in his initial release last week.

“This has changed my life forever,” said Adair. “I don’t know if I’ll ever feel safe again. I have had the expense of replacing the doors, having the locks changed and a security system and he didn’t even have to put up bail.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, the bench warrant issued by Judge Jones was in the Burnet County District Clerk's Office waiting to be issued, according to Oatman.