Convicted ‘Stalker’ Arrested for Alleged Parole Violation : Law: James Otis Sims was the first person in the county to be charged under the 1991 statute.

The first man in Orange County to plead guilty to a “stalking” charge was arrested for allegedly violating his parole, police said Friday.

James Otis Sims, 38, was watching a movie in an Anaheim theater when Westminster police arrested him, Michael Mittelstaedt said..

In January, Sims was sentenced to 60 days in Orange County Jail and five years of formal probation after pleading guilty to three counts of vandalism for stalking Sandra Potter and slashing her tires. She had dated him briefly in 1979.

Sims was the first person in the county to be charged under the stalking law, which went into effect Jan. 1, 1991, police said.

Under the terms of his probation, he “was required to have daily contact with his probation officer and he had been complying until early July,” Mittelstaedt said. “He was under very close probation supervision, and when he decided he didn’t need to report anymore, a warrant was issued for his arrest.”

If Sims is convicted of misdemeanor charges of violating his parole, he could face a jail sentence of up to one year, Mittelstaedt said.

Sims’ probation also prohibits him from having direct or indirect contact with Potter or her husband, Ronol Potter, and orders him to stay at least 10 miles from their home and work places. He was also ordered to pay $200 in restitution to the couple. Police said Sims has not tried to contact Potter since he was arrested on the stalking charge last December.

Sims, who had been featured on the television show, “America’s Most Wanted” this summer, is being held at Orange County Jail with bail set at $100,000.

Police said they were tipped to Sims’ whereabouts by a friend of his family.