The trial for a former pastor arrested in a child sex sting has been scheduled for September 28 in a Tuscaloosa County court.
James Gorman Houston III is charged with electronic solicitation of a child and traveling to meet a minor for a sex act.
Houston, the former pastor of First United Methodist Church in Tuscaloosa and Dauphin Way United Methodist in Mobile, was arrested in 2024 by the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force during an undercover operation.
In a court deposition, investigators alleged Houston made contact with a person on a dating app whom he thought was under 16. However, the person was an undercover agent.
Documents state his first communication with the account was, "Hot af," followed by, "I love younger. I want to f*** you." The messages explained various sex acts and made references to teaching the minor as a father figure.
The two made arrangements to meet in Tuscaloosa County, where investigators say Houston showed up and was taken into custody after exiting his vehicle and walking toward the undercover agent. Police said Houston acknowledged his actions after his arrest.
Houston is considered innocent until proven guilty.
His father, J. Gorman Houston, Jr., was appointed to the Alabama Supreme Court in 1985. He remained a justice until he retired in 2005. The elder Houston passed away in September 2024.
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