Johnson County sheriff terminates chief deputy who reported sexual harassment
Johnson County Sheriff Adam King on Tuesday fired the department’s chief deputy, who was a witness in a sexual harassment case against King, documents show.
Chief deputy James Saulter was terminated for insubordination after failing to show up for an internal affairs interview, King wrote in a letter obtained by the Star-Telegram.
The department’s internal affairs unit was investigating Saulter on allegations of falsifying time sheets, disobeying a direct order and failing to properly report part-time employment, according to the letter.
Saulter was listed as a witness in a Texas Rangers investigation into sexual harassment allegations against King that involved multiple female staff members. An affidavit filed in the case states that King is accused of threatening Saulter because he cooperated with investigators.
On one occasion, King instructed a female employee to remove her sweater, which was covering a V-neck blouse, according to the indictment. He told the employee that she would need to “disrobe” before he would sign any documents, which was a task required for her job. The sheriff allegedly told her, “If you keep losing weight, you’re going to make me do some ungodly things to you.”
When King learned that the female staffer had reported his behavior, he threatened to handcuff her and book her into the county jail, according to the indictment. When he learned that Saulter had also reported him, he threatened to take “adverse personnel action” against Saulter, the indictment states.
King faces one charge of abuse of office, and two other charges of retaliation against a witness. A charge of perjury against him was dropped in December, then refiled in March.
Johnson County Judge John Weeks allowed King, whose peace officer license is suspended, to resume his law enforcement duties in October last year. King was allowed to return to work on the condition that he was forbidden to contact any employees who are witnesses in the criminal case.
The case is set to go to trial next week, King’s attorney said.
