LOCAL : James Worthy Pleads Not Guilty

HOUSTON — Los Angeles Lakers forward James Worthy pleaded not guilty to two counts of soliciting prostitution at his arraignment today.

A Harris County Court-at-Law judge set a trial date of Jan. 28 for Worthy, arrested Thursday before a game against the Houston Rockets and charged with soliciting sex from Houston Police Department undercover officers.

“We are in the process of assembling all relevant facts into this incident, and we will have no further comment at this time,” Worthy’s attorney, Cornel Williams, said. Worthy rushed from the courtroom and declined to comment.

Houston police spokesman Dan Turner said Worthy consulted a telephone book’s yellow pages and called an escort service that was being monitored by undercover officers.