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CENTREVILLE, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama man featured in the hit podcast "S-Town" is scheduled to go on trial in October on charges related to events in the popular narrative.
A Bibb County judge signed an order Thursday setting an Oct. 16 trial date for 26-year-old Tyler Goodson of Woodstock, court records show.
Goodson has pleaded not guilty to a multi-count indictment alleging he took lumber, old vehicles and a laptop computer from the property of his friend John B. McLemore, the main character in "S-Town."
The case relates to something that happened during production of the podcast about McLemore's life in the rural Alabama town, located about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southwest of Birmingham.
Circuit Judge Donald L. McMillan Jr. also set a Sept. 19 hearing on a request by Goodson to move the trial to another county because of the immense popularity of the podcast, which the defense claims makes it impossible to get a fair trial in Bibb County.
The defense suggested the case be moved to Wilcox County, which is even more rural than Bibb County. Wilcox is "likely free from the influence of podcasts generally," the defense argued in the request.
Podtrac, which analyzes podcast statistics, said Thursday the seven episodes of "S-Town" have had more than 58 million streams and downloads since being released in late March.
"S-Town" tells the story of an alleged murder and another death, and winds up focusing on McLemore's tortured relationship with the town of Woodstock, his own inner demons, and Goodson.
The serialized show was produced by Serial Productions of the podcast "Serial" and "This American Life."
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