Texas teacher, three others, arrested in child sex trafficking investigation
A north Texas teacher and three others were arrested by a joint task force last week in connection with a child sex-trafficking case in Dallas.
Gershon Caston, 36, is charged with…
A north Texas teacher and three others were arrested by a joint task force last week in connection with a child sex-trafficking case in Dallas.
Gershon Caston, 36, is charged with aggravated sexual assault of a minor, trafficking of a minor and compelling prostitution by a minor, Dallas police announced last week. His bail is set at $450,000, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Caston was hired by Red Oak Independent School District as a teacher and coach in May. He was scheduled to start teaching at Red Oak Middle School in August. District spokesperson Beth Trimble said Caston helped with strength and conditioning camps this summer without incident.
The school board voted 7-0 in a special meeting Monday to suspend Caston without pay and notify him of his pending termination.
In a written statement, school officials said they are “moving swiftly through due process to terminate his employment and file the appropriate actions against him” with the Texas Education Agency and the State Board for Educator Certification.
“We continue to reiterate that our prayers are for the victim and hope our staff and students and their families are having conversations with their children,” Trimble said.
Caston has worked for at least four different North Texas school districts in the past decade, according to CBS News.
DeSoto Independent School District confirmed Caston worked at one of its schools for a year as a special education teacher before resigning in 2016.
Irving Independent School District confirmed someone with Caston’s name was employed as a special education teacher from 2020 to 2022.
Duncanville Independent School District confirmed Caston worked in the district from 2022 to 2023. While employed there, Caston was placed on paid administrative leave for alleged inappropriate behavior and communication, according to WFAA. The district did not recommend his return for the upcoming school year, and said it had no record of Red Oak ISD checking Caston’s references before his hiring in May.
Lamorris Hudspeth, Amber Gords and Adarius Staples also are facing charges in connection with the alleged crimes. They are believed to be unaffiliated with any school district in the area.
Staples is facing charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child, trafficking of a child and compelling prostitution under 18. Hudspeth faces a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Gords faces charges of trafficking of a child and compelling prostitution under 18 according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.