Trial recap: What’s happened so far in case of Johnson County Sheriff Adam King

Johnson County Sheriff Adam King is on trial in Cleburne on a charge of retaliating against former Chief Deputy James Saulter, who reported allegations that King sexually harassed employee Anna Goodloe. The trial has stretched across multiple days with emotional testimony from law enforcement officials and repeated mistrial requests from the defense.

Here are key takeaways from what’s happened so far as prosecutors presented their case:

• Saulter testified that King repeatedly asked him to “have his back,” unaware Saulter had already reported the alleged misconduct to authorities, as the retaliation trial opened in Cleburne.
• Goodloe reported that King told her she would need to disrobe before he would sign documents, and she told WFAA-TV that the harassment was so severe she would pull over on the highway to vomit while driving to work, according to the indictment and prior reporting.
• Chief Deputy David Blankenship testified that King declined to fire a male jailer accused of sexual harassment in a separate incident, with King saying “Satan was attacking” the jailer because the jailer’s father was a minister in the jail.
• Testimony also revealed that King’s office allegedly did not properly document sick and vacation time, with King telling the county personnel director his employees “were always working” and did not need to log time.
• Chief Deputy Mark Reinhardt, a former Texas Ranger, testified that dealing with King’s alleged sexual harassment of a female employee was the hardest thing he had ever done professionally, echoing similar statements from other law enforcement witnesses.
• Capt. Danny Rogers, the godfather of King’s adopted daughter, broke down in tears on the stand, saying “I don’t want to be here. This last year has been hell on me” as he described the deterioration of his close relationship with King.
• Defense attorney Mark Daniel has argued that Saulter was disciplined for spreading rumors about King having sex with former office manager Karen Charles, not for reporting Goodloe’s allegations, and requested a mistrial five times in three days, with all requests denied by Judge John Wilson Weeks.
• Saulter was fired in May after failing to appear for a mandatory Garrity interview tied to an internal affairs investigation, and King could face two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 if convicted of the retaliation charge.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.