Indicted Johnson County Sheriff Adam King can continue serving in his position in a limited capacity after Texas Rangers say he violated his bond conditions at least 13 times amid his ongoing sexual harassment case.
During a court hearing Friday, Ranger Patrick Garcia provided photos and video footage from the Johnson County Sheriff's Office that show King walking into the bathroom without an officer and appearing to make contact with two employees with whom he was specifically ordered not to have contact.
"The employees and those impacted by this case are scared," Garcia said. "They're nervous about being at work and around the facilities. Some have expressed frustration and being upset about the conditions, and it has impacted, from what they've expressed, their ability to work comfortably in an environment without having worry or anxiety."
Another photo shows a man — purportedly King — with his back towards the camera in a meeting King was not authorized to attend, but King's attorneys and a witness disputed he was the man in that meeting.
Garcia said he was provided the footage by an employee from the sheriff's office.
Judge John Weeks denied a request from King's attorneys to amend his bond conditions so he could work without restrictions. But Weeks also denied a request from the Rangers to revoke his bond altogether.
"This is your first and last warning," Weeks told King.
The sheriff was initially on paid administrative leave after his first indictments in August, but has since been allowed to return to work with restrictions after his bond conditions were adjusted. Part of King's restrictions include having a chaperone with him at all times, not having any contact with his accusers, and not performing background checks on sheriff’s office employees.
King, 58, was arrested and indicted in August on charges of sexual harassment and retaliating against both the accuser and the chief deputy who reported him to the Texas Rangers. He was accused of making several sexually inappropriate comments to multiple female employees for more than a year.
He was indicted again on an aggravated perjury charge in October after allegedly lying to a grand jury about changing his accuser's work schedule. That charge was dismissed earlier this month.
Bill Mason, one of King's attorneys, told KERA News the indictment was unlawful because it was made by the same grand jury who heard King's allegedly false testimony.
According to the Texas Constitution, "if an individual is charged with aggravated perjury before a grand jury, the indictment may not be entered by the grand jury before which the false statement was alleged to have been made."
But King could be reindicted if the case is presented to a second grand jury, Mason said.
Mason added King will comply with the judge's ruling to keep the same bond conditions.
"I'm certainly never going to argue with a judicial ruling, [but] we're unhappy at the outcome," Mason said. "The sheriff wants to get back to work, has plenty of duties that require him to be there, to be on call and be able to show up at the last minute."
Penelope Rivera is KERA's breaking news reporter. Got a tip? Email Penelope Rivera at privera@kera.org.
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