J. Kent Adams, one of Harris County’s Justices of the Peace, passed away over the weekend.
Judge J. Kent Adams, who presided over one of the Houston area’s busiest justice of the peace courts for 13 years, died Saturday morning at his home on Lake Livingston. He was 74 and had been ill with cancer, his family said.
A lawyer by training, Adams was appointed in March 2001 as presiding judge in Harris County Justice of the Peace Court, precinct 4, position 1. The court, which serves a population of about 1 million in the burgeoning Spring area, is often packed with people involved in cases ranging from traffic tickets to small civil claims.
The Harris County Commissioners Court appointed Adams to the bench, and voters reelected him three times, most recently in 2012 to a four-year term.
Precinct 4 Constable Ron Hickman, who for 13 years worked down the hall from Adams in the courthouse at 6831 Cypresswood Drive in Spring, remembered the judge as a dedicated public servant who treated his three dozen employees like family.
“He cared about kids and wanted to get them on the right path,” Hickman said.
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Adams is survived by his wife, Pauline Adams; three sons, Jon Kevin Adams of Memphis, Tenn., Lee Cameron Adams of San Antonio and Allen Kent Adams of Panama City, Fla.; a daughter, Wenday Adams Riley of Raleigh, N.C.; and a stepson, Jerry Dunlap.
Services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday at Cypress Creek Christian Church, 6823 Cypresswood Drive.
Here’s the Chron obituary for Judge Adams. My condolences to his family and friends.