How Could You? Hall of Shame-James A. Houston

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare,foster care, and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Racine, Wisconsin, group home worker, James A. Houston “was sentenced for molesting a child, whirling around to face the girl and demanding she “tell the truth.”

“Ms. Flancher, I didn’t do this,” James A. Houston exclaimed loudly in the courtroom as Racine County Circuit Judge Faye Flancher sentenced him to three years behind bars for molesting the girl.

Jumping in place and turning to the girl who was seated in the first row of the gallery, Houston — whom it took three Racine County sheriff’s deputies to contain before he was handcuffed and led from the courtroom — spoke in a commanding voice: “Tell them the truth, please.”

Houston, 42, who recently had been living in Chicago, was accused of forcing a then-11-year-old girl to touch him in 2013 after he smuggled the girl and her brother into a group home where he was working at that time. The girl also accused Houston of showing her two sexually explicit images, although Houston said the girl told him she watched a pornographic video at her father’s house.

“He showed me stuff and I couldn’t un-see it,” the girl, who remains in counseling, said during the hearing.

Flancher also sentenced Houston to spend four years on extended supervision and ordered him to register as a sex offender and not have any contact with the children.

“Judge, I did not do this,” Houston said jumping up and sobbing, vehemently maintaining his innocence.

He faced a maximum of five years in prison and five years on extended supervision for the felony charge of third-degree sexual assault of a child.

Assistant District Attorney Robert Repischak called for prison time for Houston, but didn’t specify an amount as agreed through the plea deal. Houston’s defense attorney, Scott F. Anderson, called for probation plus an imposed and stayed term behind bars, meaning Houston wouldn’t go to prison unless he violated probation. Anderson said Houston had no prior criminal record and posed no threat to the girl and her family.

Standing over his defense attorney during the hearing, Houston pointed his finger at Anderson and blasted his work on the case.

“You said you was gonna get this case dismissed,” Houston thundered. “You promised this would only be probation. ‘Take the plea.’ That’s why I didn’t go to trial. God gonna take care of them (the children) for lying. We gonna make sure you don’t practice law in Wisconsin.”

‘Now she’s changed’
The girl said Houston asked her to accompany him to work on May 28, 2013, at his third-shift job at a Racine group home.

Houston brought her brother along for his 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift, smuggling each inside the house individually, the complaint states. The siblings were sleeping on a couch before Houston told the younger brother to sleep on a couch in another room, the complaint states, and then Houston molested the girl, court records state.

During Wednesday’s sentencing, the boy said his sister was loving before, now she’s defiant.

“Before this she was good. Now she’s changed in ways that I can’t even explain,” the boy told Flancher. “She’s not going to heal unless she sees something is done.”

He asked for Houston to receive at least a 10-year sentence, saying he doesn’t feel safe going outside because he’s scared. “I’m gonna have somebody come at me and try to do something to me,” the boys said.

The children are not being named because of the nature of the case.

Houston’s uncle, Jerry Houston, who said he is a former Chicago police officer, called his nephew a loving, kind man.

“In my opinion, I don’t believe this happened,” Jerry Houston said during the hearing.

Anderson said Houston plans to appeal.”

I Didn’t Do This Man Exclaims During Sentencing for Molesting Child

[The Journal Times 4/6/16 by Kristen Zambo]

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