Johnson County Sheriff Adam King is accused of having an affair and secret child more than two decades ago, court filings show.
A woman identified as T.C., previously T.W., claims she and King had an ongoing affair more than 20 years ago, where they met up at several hotels and motels across Fort Worth, according to May 14 court records shared with KERA News. She also alleges she became pregnant with King's child and that he threatened her years later by arresting her and saying he would put "her six feet under."
King and his attorneys have denied all the allegations in a court filing on Tuesday. King has also agreed to "cooperate fully" and take a DNA test at any time.
"The story told...is a lie and the Sheriff categorically denies that he is the father of this woman's child," Bill Mason, an attorney for King, told KERA News in an email Wednesday.
The new claims come as part of King's ongoing sexual harassment case.
King, 58, was arrested and indicted last 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 several female employees for more than a year, beginning in 2024. He was also indicted on aggravated perjury after he was accused of lying to a grand jury about her work schedule.
King was initially on paid administrative leave after his first indictments but was allowed to return to work with restrictions.
The May 14 court filing says King met T.C. in 1999 at an Applebee's in Cleburne, where King allegedly told her he was a beer salesman despite working as a law enforcement officer at the time. T.C. was married at the time, but she and King began a relationship and allegedly met in different hotels at least seven different times, according to court records.
T.C. became pregnant, court records allege, and she told King she was going to tell her husband the child was his and cut contact with King. It's not specified when T.C. allegedly became pregnant.
Court documents allege King and another officer arrested T.C. in 2014 or 2015 and told her he would "put her six feet under or put her in prison for the rest of her life" if she didn't stop telling people King is the father of her son. And, court records allege, King told T.C. she needed to move out of Johnson County and that he never wanted to see her again.
"To this day, T.C. is in fear of [King] and retaliation," court documents said.
These new allegations could be used against King by prosecutors during his trial. Any defendant's past criminal record, general reputation or "bad acts" can be used during sentencing, according to the Texas Constitution.
King's attorneys on May 22 requested the state to do a paternity test to prove the sheriff's innocence but claim in their Tuesday court filing they've received no response.
He's requesting the state notifies him through his attorneys for a time and place to do the DNA tests — and that the state issues a "formal public apology."
"Sheriff King categorically denies this baseless accusation," the filing read. "Respectfully, this recitation being included in this Notice is nothing short of slander."
If the state doesn't conduct the DNA testing, King is requesting the district court in which the case is filed to conduct its own DNA testing.
King's jury trial was set to start May 18 but was cancelled without any public reason. His trial is set for June 22, according to court records.
Penelope Rivera is KERA's Tarrant County Accountability Reporter. Got a tip? Email Penelope Rivera at privera@kera.org.
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