Johnson County sheriff arrested again on retaliation, tampering charges

JOHNSON COUNTY, Texas - The embattled Johnson County sheriff is back in jail on charges of retaliation and tampering with evidence.

Johnson County Sheriff Arrested

What's new:

Sheriff Adam King was indicted on the new charges on Thursday. His bond has been set at $200,000.

He is accused of retaliating against his chief deputy, who was a whistleblower in a separate sexual harassment case involving the sheriff.

This is the second time Sheriff King has been indicted on the allegations. The previous indictment resulted in a mistrial earlier this month.

A new trial date has been set for November 9. If convicted in a new trial, he could face up to 10 years in prison.

What they're saying:

King's defense team shared a statement following his recent arrest.

"This remains a tremendous waste of resources. Sheriff King is looking forward to trial. The alleged retaliation case is a re-indictment of the old retaliation indictment. This means that the State felt their previous retaliation indictment was insufficient. It remains insufficient and without merit.

The new allegation regarding the Sheriff's laptop computer is completely baseless. Law enforcement has never asked the Sheriff for his computer or even expressed an interest in his computer. This month, after the State's failed attempt to convict the Sheriff, the Johnson County IT Department contacted the Sheriff and requested his computer. The Sheriff complied with that request and provided his computer."

FOX 4 is still working to get clarification on the new allegations that King's attorneys mentioned.

Mistrial Declared

What we know:

A mistrial was declared on July 7 after jurors deliberated for two days but were unable to come to a decision. 

After the trial, King told reporters he was happy to be home with his friends and family.

"We always felt confident that there would not be a conviction, and it was the outcome that we hoped for," said William G. Mason, a defense attorney for King. 

James Saulter, King's accuser, held a different tone after the mistrial declaration.

"We just have to live with our justice system, and I am good with that. We will live to fight another day. I am OK with it, and we will regroup and see what comes next."

Johnson County Sheriff's Trial

Dig deeper:

The case stemmed from testimony by former Chief Deputy James Saulter, who told jurors he was placed on administrative leave and ultimately terminated after taking a female employee’s complaints to the Texas Rangers. According to Saulter, the employee alleged that King routinely sexually harassed her.

Prosecutors called more than 20 witnesses to testify against King.

The defense rested its case without calling any witnesses. Instead, King’s attorneys argued that the disciplinary actions taken against Saulter were unrelated to the whistleblowing report. The defense pointed out to the jury that Saulter was already under internal investigation for allegedly falsifying timesheets at the time of his dismissal.

King did not testify on his own behalf during the trial.

The backstory:

King was initially arrested on Aug. 27, 2025, and was charged with one misdemeanor and two felonies for official oppression, sexual harassment and retaliation against a witness.

He was indicted several days later. King’s indictment accused him of sexually harassing multiple female employees at the sheriff’s office.

Johnson CountyCrime and Public Safety