Tag: Sheriff Adam King

A high-ranking Johnson County official is questioning whether the suspension of Sheriff Adam King’s peace officer license disqualifies him from continuing in his role as sheriff.

Timothy Good, the district attorney for Johnson and Somervell counties, has requested an opinion from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton regarding the issue.

King, who is in his third term, is accused of making repeated and unwelcome sexually charged remarks toward female employees, showing favoritism to women who spent time alone with him, and threatening his chief deputy to stay quiet about it, according to court documents.

A grand jury indicted the 57-year-old sheriff on two felony counts of retaliation against a witness and one misdemeanor count of abuse of office related to sexual harassment in August. On Oct. 1, he was indicted on one count of aggravated perjury.

The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement suspended King’s peace officer license on Sept. 9, according to online records. King placed himself on administrative leave in August, but was given permission to resume his law enforcement duties on a restricted basis following an Oct. 2 hearing.

On Oct. 9, Good asked Paxton to issue an opinion on whether the suspension of King’s license automatically prohibits him from continuing as sheriff. As a secondary issue, Good asked how the loss of King’s license affects his deputies, who are appointed by the sheriff and derive their authority from him.

In a supplemental brief Good sent to Paxton on Oct. 20, the district attorney lays out his argument against King’s eligibility to serve.

“The Texas legislature sought to specifically disqualify any sheriff from continuing to serve in that position should he be unable to maintain an active permanent peace officer license or qualify by previous service as a federal agent or in the military,” the brief states. “Thus, Johnson County Sheriff Adam King cannot serve as Sheriff as long as his license is suspended.”

According to Good, King has been directing the Sheriff’s Office through his deputies who have active licenses. Under Texas law, deputies derive their authority from the acting sheriff. If King were disqualified, Good questioned how that would affect the role of his deputies.

“The District Attorney’s Office wants to ensure that the power and authority that deputies in the sheriff’s office are acting under is not questioned in the commission of their work as it relates to protecting the public and investigating criminal acts, many of which are filed with the District Attorney’s Office,” Good said in the brief.

King and his attorney, Bill Mason, did not respond to the Star-Telegram’s request for comment.

King has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, according to Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV reporting. Mason said in a previous statement to WFAA that King “would not, and did not, do anything wrong, inappropriate, or illegal.”