The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - April 2, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Howdy folks, today is Thursday, April 2nd, and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans managing editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, Johnson County Sheriff Adam King was indicted a second time on a charge of aggravated perjury, following the dismissal of an earlier charge amid his ongoing sexual harassment case. In October, King pleaded not guilty to four charges. two felony retaliation counts, misdemeanor abuse of office tied to sexual harassment, and initially, felony aggravated perjury. King had turned himself in to the Texas Rangers earlier in August and went on voluntary administrative leave. An affidavit claimed that King sexually harassed multiple female employees of the county with unwelcome sexual advances,

Starting point is 00:00:58 making comments about their appearances, referencing their weight, clothing, or body parts. King allegedly threatened one employee who reported him and tried to find her home address. The affidavit also accused King of threatening Chief Deputy James Salter for his cooperation with the Texas Rangers' investigation. King's license with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement was suspended on September 9th. On October 1st, he was indicted for the initial aggravated perjury charge and booked in the Johnson County Jail with a $50,000 bond. In other news, former Salina Independent School District Athletic Director Bill Elliott was placed on the Texas Education Agency's Do Not Hire Registry, following allegations of misconduct from 1995 when he was a teacher. On the TEA's public registry, Bill Elliott was listed as not eligible for hire on March 19th. This classification means he is,

Starting point is 00:01:54 quote, not eligible to be employed by a public school and may not be hired in any role. The Salina Police Department said they were contacted by the TEA in November regarding allegations of criminal misconduct. Selina PD said a detective reached out to the person who came forward, but since the allegation was not reported in 1995, the statute of limitations kept a criminal investigation from occurring. After 33 years with the district, Bill Elliott resigned in January, following a sexual abuse scandal involving his son, former Salina ISD coach Caleb Elliott. Caleb Elliott was initially arrested on October 3rd and is currently in custody facing state and federal felony charges of recording and photographing students nude in the locker

Starting point is 00:02:42 room at Moore Middle School. Four lawsuits have been filed in connection with his case, including one by state representative Mitch Little representing 17 families of alleged child victims. Last but not least, a federal judge for found that prosecutors and local officials involved in the 2022 arrest of a Texas woman over a self-induced abortion cannot be held liable for their actions. Lazzell Gonzalez, formerly Lazzell Herrera, was charged in January 2022 and arrested the following April after allegedly inducing the abortion of her child while 19 weeks pregnant. A Star County Memorial Hospital nurse

Starting point is 00:03:23 turned her in after treating her, following her consumption of an abortifacent substance. substance. After the case was presented to a grand jury, Gonzalez's indictment was drafted, resulting in the issuance of a warrant for her arrest. Following her indictment for homicide, Gonzalez spent three days in the Starr County Jail before she was released on a $50,000 bond. Star County officials moved to dismiss her case just four days after she had been arrested. Her indictment followed an increase in debate surrounding how abortion laws in Texas might be applied after the potential reversal of Roe v. Wade, which ended up occurring two months after Gonzalez was charged with murder. At the time, abortion was outlawed in Texas after six weeks,

Starting point is 00:04:09 which Gonzalez's pre-born child was well passed at the time of abortion. But Texas law has never found women liable for abortions, only those involved in obtaining her one. Thanks for listening. The Texan will be observing the Good Friday holiday tomorrow, so check back in on Monday, April 6th for the next episode of the Daily Rundown. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the texan.news and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - April 2, 2026

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.