Johnson County Sheriff Adam King was arraigned Thursday on a new felony charge of aggravated perjury, adding to existing charges of sexual harassment and retaliation against female employees.
The 57-year-old sheriff, currently on paid administrative leave, was indicted Wednesday for allegedly lying to a grand jury about altering a female employee’s work schedule after she accused him of harassment.
The perjury charge stems from claims that King falsely told a grand jury he did not change the schedule of Anna Goodloe, a former training coordinator at the sheriff’s office, after she reported harassment. Investigators say King disclosed the schedule change to multiple witnesses, contradicting his sworn testimony.
“This is just further confirmation of the truthfulness of our clients,” said Chris Cooke, Goodloe’s attorney, to CBS News Texas. “The fact the sheriff is charged with aggravated perjury shows just how outrageous and blatant his lies really were.”
King was initially arrested in August by his own deputies and booked into the Johnson County Jail before posting bond. The earlier charges include misdemeanor abuse of office/official oppression by sexual harassment, and two felony counts of retaliation against a witness. A Texas Rangers investigation, launched six weeks prior to his arrest, uncovered allegations spanning 18 months from multiple female employees.
According to court documents, King allegedly made inappropriate comments about female subordinates’ weight, clothing, and appearance, including telling one woman, “If you keep losing weight, you’re gonna make me do some ungodly things to you,” and remarking to another, “Back in my younger days, you wouldn’t want to know what I did to women wearing white pants.”
During a weekly all-female teatime event he hosted, King allegedly said, “Don’t tell people — or your husbands — the sheriff puts his cream in your tea.”
He is also accused of offering benefits to married women who spent time with him and threatening to have one complainant arrested.
The indictment further alleges that King attempted to obtain the home address of a female employee who filed a human resources complaint, “knowing the fact would cause a reasonable person to feel harassed, terrified, intimidated, alarmed or tormented.”
Goodloe, who worked at the sheriff’s office for 12 years, said the harassment began in 2023 and that she initially stayed silent out of fear of retaliation. About six other women reported similar allegations to the Texas Rangers.
Cooke also represents Chief Deputy James Saulter, who was allegedly threatened by King for cooperating with investigators.
King, elected sheriff in 2016 after serving as commander of the South Texas Officers and Prosecutors Human Trafficking Task Force, placed himself on administrative leave following his August arrest. Capt. Ben Arriola is serving as the acting sheriff.
Despite the allegations, dozens of residents rallied in support of King in September, calling the charges politically motivated.