Jury enters second day of deliberations in Johnson County sheriff’s trial
A Johnson County jury is continuing deliberations Tuesday on the retaliation charge against the county’s top law enforcement official.
Jurors began deliberations about 4 p.m. Monday after Judge John Wilson Weeks gave the jury instructions and both sides made closing arguments. Defense attorneys for Sheriff Adam King rested their case Monday morning without calling any witnesses, despite saying earlier in the trial that they believed King would testify.
Prosecutors rested their case July 2 after more than two weeks of witness testimony at the Guinn Justice Center.
Deliberations lasted until 10:30 p.m. Monday night and resumed around 10:30 Tuesday morning.
Supporters of King, who have filled the courtroom for the entire duration of proceedings, are present and waiting for the verdict as well.
Prosecutors have argued that Chief Deputy James Saulter was placed on leave last year and later fired by King because Saulter reported allegations that King sexually harassed training coordinator Anna Goodloe.
The defense has argued that Saulter was initially disciplined for spreading rumors about King having sex with former office manager Karen Charles, not for reporting Goodloe’s allegations. Saulter was fired in May of this year after failing to appear for a mandatory interview tied to an internal affairs investigation of alleged timekeeping discrepancies, according to testimony.
A judge allowed King to return to work following his August 2025 indictment, but he was ordered to avoid contact with witnesses in the case.
If convicted, King faces a possible prison term of two to 10 years and a fine of up to $10,000. If there is a guilty verdict, the trial would then proceed to a punishment phase, where jurors would hear additional testimony to help them decide what penalty to impose.
Other charges in the indictment are pending and could be tried at a later date.
