Johnson County Sheriff Adam King was indicted Wednesday on abuse of office and corrupt influence charges, according to Johnson County Jail records.

King, 57, has been charged with abuse of office: official oppression - sexual harassment, and two counts of corrupt influence - retaliation against a witness.

King was elected sheriff in 2016 and is currently serving his third term. He previously served as commander of the South Texas Officers and Prosecutors Human Trafficking Task Force.

Johnson County Judge Christopher Boedeker said the indictments are the result of a weeks-long investigation by the Texas Rangers.

The judge said the county received the original complaint from a female employee at the sheriff's office on June 30. The Texas Rangers were called in to investigate and a Ranger from another region handled the investigation.

Indictment details alleged harassment, threats made by sheriff

According to the indictment dated July 21 of this year, after learning the female employee filed a human resource complaint against him for sexual harassment, King tried to get her home address "knowing the fact would cause a reasonable person to feel harassed, terrified, intimidated, alarmed or tormented."

The indictment claims that King intentionally subjected the female employee to sexual harassment, including making comments about her clothes and that she must "disrobe" before he would sign any documents.

The indictment also includes statements of a sexual  or harassing nature that King allegedly made to the female employee, including the following:

• "If you keep losing weight, you're gonna make me do some ungodly things to you."
• Allegedly said on a day the woman wore white slacks to work: "Back in my younger days, you wouldn't want to know what I did to women wearing white pants."
• Upon finding out the woman planned to arrive at work the following day at 6 a.m.: "Six o'clock? That's early enough that you don't have to wear any clothes!;"" Before the conversation ended, the woman asked King what time he expected her to arrive at work, to which he allegedly responded, "It depends if you're wearing clothes or not."
• King allegedly said to a different female employee, "You look good... you look really good."
• Speaking to a group of female employees, King allegedly said, "Don't tell people/your husbands sheriff puts his cream in your tea."
• Allegedly stated to another female employee, "Mmm... you're looking good, keep losing weight. Your clothes are too baggy, you need some smaller clothes."

The indictment also states that after the woman reported King's alleged violations to the Texas Rangers, he threatened to handcuff "and book her into the county jail." 

King also allegedly threatened Chief Deputy James Saulter, who reported the allegations, a violation of the whistleblower act, the indictment states.

Sheriff King voluntarily placed on leave, acting sheriff appointed

Judge Boedeker said the employee who made the allegation is still with the sheriff's department. 

Bond for King was set at $25,000, according to Johnson County records. Kind bonded out Thursday morning. 

On Thursday, King voluntarily placed himself on administrative leave in light of the indictment, according to a press release from the Johnson County Sheriff's Office. 

"Sheriff King has taken this step in the interest of transparency and to allow the legal process to proceed without distraction," the sheriff's office said. 

Captain Ben Arriola has been appointed as Acting Sheriff effective immediately.