COFFEE COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) - The Coffee County Sheriff’s Office says an anonymous tip submitted through the agency’s mobile app led to the arrest of a Waycross man accused of violating probation restrictions that barred him from entering Coffee and Atkinson counties.

According to the sheriff’s office, on April 28, investigators arrested James Michael Shelton, 32, of Waycross, after receiving information that he had returned to Coffee County.

Shelton was previously charged and convicted of aggravated stalking in 2019, the sheriff’s office said. He was sentenced under First Offender status to five years of probation, but later violated the same year. As a result, officials said his First Offender status was revoked, and he was named a convicted felon. He was then resentenced to a total of 10 years of probation.

As a condition of that probation, Shelton was prohibited from entering Coffee County and Atkinson County for the length of the probationary period, the sheriff’s office said. The court also warned that further violations could lead to full revocation of probation and the remaining sentence being served in confinement.

Beginning in December 2025, the sheriff’s office said it received multiple tips alleging Shelton had returned to Coffee County. Investigators with the D.I.C.E. Unit later located him at a residence along Highway 441 in Coffee County. Authorities secured a warrant and took Shelton into custody without incident, the sheriff’s office said.

Shelton was transported to the Coffee County Jail, where he remains while awaiting further legal action.

Sheriff Fred Cole thanked community members who provided information.

“We are grateful for the citizens who stepped up and did the right thing,” Cole said. “This is exactly how law enforcement and the community work together to keep dangerous individuals off our streets.”

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