Fugitive who fled Michigan convicted of 2008 sexual assault of a minor

A man who was extradited to Michigan from Georgia in March 2025 for sexually assaulting a minor in 2008 has been found guilty. 

James Carter, 63, formerly of Prescott, Michigan, was convicted in Hillsdale County on Feb. 4 of four counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of accosting a child for immoral purposes, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. 

Prosecutors charged Carter with sexually assaulting and accosting a minor, along with another victim, in 2008. He was initially charged by the Hillsdale County Prosecuting Attorney's Office in August 2011.  

Carter was extradited to Michigan in March 2025 as part of Operation Survivor Justice. Operation Survivor Justice is a partnership with the Michigan Attorney General's Office, county prosecutors and the U.S. Marshals to locate, arrest and return to Michigan fugitives with outstanding criminal sexual assault warrants.

"Sexual assault survivors carry the impact of these crimes for their entire lives, and seeking justice nearly two decades later takes extraordinary courage," said Nessel in a statement. "I am proud of the work my office and our Operation Survivor Justice partners have done to secure this conviction, and we will continue working alongside them to hold offenders accountable."

According to prosecutors, Carter will be sentenced on March 19.