Testimony continued Wednesday in the criminal trial of Johnson County Sheriff Adam King, who faces two counts of retaliation and one charge of official oppression tied to a sexual assault investigation involving sheriff’s office employees. King has denied all allegations. Before proceedings began, prosecutors raised concerns that King had been using his cellphone in the courtroom to send and receive texts — something they said other defendants are not permitted to do. King admitted to the judge that he was using the device, and the judge instructed him to turn it off. The morning’s testimony focused on former Johnson County Chief Deputy James Saulter, who previously reported King to the Texas Rangers and was later terminated from his position. Prosecutors allege King engaged in verbal sexual harassment and made inappropriate comments to multiple female employees, leading to his indictment and arrest in August 2025. A grand jury also found that King retaliated against Saulter after he reported alleged official oppression to county officials and the Texas Rangers in June 2025. King was briefly placed on administrative leave following the indictment, but later returned to work with restrictions. Saulter testified Wednesday as a continued witness for the state. He was fired in May after allegedly failing to attend a required internal affairs interview and facing accusations that included falsifying time sheets, disobeying a direct order, and failing to report part-time employment. During cross-examination, defense attorney Mark Daniels questioned Saulter extensively about his outside work at the Texas Motorplex in Ellis County. Saulter said the side job had been approved by King. Daniels suggested Saulter was “double-dipping” by working two jobs and taking extended leave without properly reporting it, arguing the conduct demonstrated misconduct and possible ulterior motives in reporting King. The defense also attempted to portray Saulter as having ambitions to become sheriff. Saulter previously ran for sheriff in 2016 but lost to King. He testified that the two had maintained a good working relationship until the events in 2025 underlying the current case. Prosecutors repeatedly objected to the line of questioning, arguing it was irrelevant to the charges tied to the 2025 allegations. At one point, the judge cautioned Daniels about repeating questions regarding Saulter’s suspension and outside employment. The defense also introduced a social media post by Saulter that included an AI-generated image depicting him in a leadership role within the sheriff’s office, with the word “Chief” on his vest. Daniels argued the post supported claims about Saulter’s ambitions. Jurors were also shown internal documents outlining the department’s code of conduct. The defense contended Saulter violated those standards through his secondary employment and other alleged misconduct, arguing King had grounds to terminate him. An email sent by King to Saulter in August 2025 was also presented in court, showing Saulter was suspended with pay pending the outcome of an internal investigation into misconduct allegations. Separately, attorneys on both sides addressed developments tied to additional allegations referenced in court filings. Those filings accuse King of having had an affair more than two decades ago that resulted in a child, and of making threats to the woman over the years to keep the matter secret, according to court filings obtained by NBC 5. In court on Wednesday, King’s attorneys said they had subpoenaed the birth certificate of the now-young man in an effort to determine paternity. Prosecutors said they have a DNA sample from the individual and asked the judge to order King to provide a sample for comparison. It was not immediately clear whether any testing had been conducted. The 12-person jury, which includes five women, will continue listening to testimony through the week as the trial is expected to last well into next week. As of late Wednesday morning, Saulter remained on the stand. King is expected to testify at some point during the trial, though it was unclear when that might occur. ...read more read less