Jury deliberations resume in criminal retaliation trial of Johnson County Sheriff Adam King

JOHNSON COUNTY, Texas - Jury deliberations are set to resume Tuesday morning in the criminal trial of Johnson County Sheriff Adam King, who is accused of retaliating against his former top deputy after the deputy reported sexual harassment allegations against the sheriff.

Johnson County Sheriff's trial

The case stems 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.

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.

If convicted of the retaliation charge, King faces a prison sentence of two to 10 years.

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