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'Do ungodly things to her': Johnson Co Sheriff indicted
A Johnson County sheriff was arrested after he was indicted on corruption charges. He is accused of sexually harassing multiple female employees over the last year.
CLEBURNE, Texas - The Johnson County sheriff is on administrative leave after being indicted and booked into jail on Wednesday on sexual harassment and retaliation charges.
Johnson County Sheriff Arrested
What's new:
Johnson County Sheriff Adam King voluntarily placed himself on leave on Thursday morning, a day after being booked into the county jail in Cleburne.
"Sheriff King has taken this step in the interest of transparency and to allow the legal process to proceed without distraction," the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. "As this legal matter proceeds, we ask for the community’s understanding and patience. Sheriff King, like all citizens, is entitled to due process and looks forward to his day in court."
Captain Ben Arriola will serve as the acting sheriff in King’s absence.
The backstory:
The accusations against King stem from conduct that allegedly occurred over the past 18 months. The Texas Rangers began their investigation about six weeks ago.
King was indicted by a grand jury on Wednesday on charges of misdemeanor abuse of office/official oppression by sexual harassment and two felony counts of retaliation against a witness.
Records show he was arrested by his own deputies and booked into his own jail.
It appears he’s already bonded out of jail. His name no longer appears on the jail roster.
Johnson County Sheriff arrested, charged with sexual harassment, official oppression
Jail records show that Johnson County Sheriff Adam King has been arrested by his own deputies on felony charges of official oppression, sexual harassment, and retaliation following a Texas Rangers investigation.
Dig deeper:
King’s indictment accuses him of sexually harassing multiple female employees at the sheriff’s office.
The report states he told his subordinates they needed to wear makeup to work, made comments about their weight, clothing, and physical appearance, and would give benefits or perks to the married women who agreed to spend time with him.
King allegedly remarked to one woman that if she kept losing weight, he would "do ungodly things to her."
When that same woman wore white slacks to work, King allegedly commented, "Back in my younger days, you wouldn’t want to know what I did to women wearing white pants."
During a weekly, all-female teatime event that King hosted, he allegedly told his female subordinates, "Don’t tell people/your husbands sheriff puts his cream in your tea."
The court document also accuses King of retaliating against the two employees who reported the harassment. It states that he threatened to have one woman, whom he had allegedly harassed, arrested.
What they're saying:
"The indictments are the culmination of a months-long investigation by the Texas Rangers. County officials are not privy to the details of the investigation," Johnson County Judge Christopher Boedeker told FOX 4. "As soon as county officials were made aware of the allegations, we referred the case to the Texas Rangers for an independent investigation. While Mr. King is entitled to a presumption of innocence, no person is above the law."
What's next:
No date for King’s next court appearance has been released.
The Source: The information in this story comes from Sheriff Adam King's indictment, a news release from the Johnson County Sheriff's Office, jail records, and statements from Johnson County Judge Christopher Boedeker.