Judge doesn’t rule on whether unlicensed Johnson County sheriff can stay on job
A judge did not decide Thursday whether an embattled North Texas sheriff can remain in his post as he awaits a criminal trial, according to WFAA-TV.
Johnson County Sheriff Adam King was charged in August with counts of retaliating against a witness and abusing his office after a female employee reported King was sexually harassing her.
King is accused of threatening both the employee and the department’s chief deputy to keep the allegations quiet, the Star-Telegram previously reported.
King placed himself on administrative leave after his arrest in August, and the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement suspended King’s peace officer license on Sep. 9, according to online records.
Less than 24 hours before a plea hearing in October, King was charged with perjuring himself when he told a jury he had not changed the female employee’s work schedule after learning she reported the harassment.
He pleaded not guilty to all the charges at that hearing, where a judge also granted his request to return to work.
Under the terms of his release, King is allowed to work in the office three days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., cannot contact any of the named witnesses in the case, and cannot access GPS or tracking tools or conduct background checks on county employees.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton declined last month to issue a formal opinion on whether King should continue as sheriff while he awaits trial.
Paxton’s refusal was in keeping with the practice of avoiding ruling in cases that “intersect with pending litigation,” according to a reply the office sent to Johnson County District Attorney Timothy Good.
The case has drawn intense scrutiny from citizens of Johnson County: In September, roughly 200 people gathered in support of King at a Cleburne conference center. At the meeting, attendees discussed how to back the sheriff and how to fund his legal fees.
A petition for King’s wife to be removed from her position as director of a children’s advocacy center garnered nearly 500 signatures that same week. The petition’s organizers said Tammy King’s stance in support of her husband created a “profound conflict of interest” with her work.
A criminal trial for King is set for next year.
