The chief deputy of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office was fired days before he was expected to testify against Sheriff Adam King in an ongoing criminal case involving allegations of retaliation and abuse of office.
James Saulter was terminated on May 12, according to his attorney, Christopher Cooke, who said the firing has placed significant strain on Saulter and his family.
“I think he is more worried at this point about how he’s going to put food on the table for his family than he is about his own emotions,” Cooke said, WFAA reported.
According to a termination letter from King, Saulter was dismissed for failing to appear at a scheduled Internal Affairs interview earlier that day.
Cooke disputed the circumstances surrounding the investigation, saying the inquiry was overseen by someone connected to the sheriff’s defense team.
“What the public doesn’t know is that the Internal Affairs investigation was being run by a friend of the sheriff, someone who he has on his defense team in his criminal case,” Cooke said.
Saulter is expected to testify in proceedings involving King, who has been indicted on two felony counts of retaliation against a witness. The sheriff also faces a misdemeanor abuse of office charge tied to sexual harassment allegations and an aggravated perjury charge accusing him of lying under oath to a grand jury.
After a March court hearing, King’s defense attorney, Bill Mason, publicly defended the sheriff.
“He is a fine man. I’ve known Adam King since the 1990s,” Mason said at the time, WFAA reported.
King remains in office and is working under a court-ordered hybrid schedule while the criminal case proceeds.
Cooke argued that Saulter’s firing raises concerns because of his role as a witness in the case.
“[King has] been allowed to be around his victims, and now [Saulter] is terminated, the main witness in the criminal prosecution against him next week,” Cooke said, per WFAA.
Saulter has already surrendered department-issued equipment, including his firearm, badge, and county computer, according to his attorney. He is now seeking new employment while preparing for upcoming court proceedings.
Cooke said he never expected the case involving King to evolve the way it has.
“If you’d have told me two years ago that what has happened was gonna go down this way, I wouldn’t have believed it,” Cooke said. “He is a different man from the man I supported for Sheriff. And he’s a different man than he was 10 years ago. It’s truly been heartbreaking to watch and now, to see the fallout of Chief Saulter and his family; he now has no income. It has a cascading effect.”
