About 3 p.m. Thursday the Rev. Bill McGill looked out of his window and pondered that it was the 37th day of his 40-day fast to draw attention to violence in the community, and there had been no civilian-on-civilian homicides in Fort Wayne.Three women who needed emergency financial assistance went to Cleveland Township Trustee Ron King to ask for help in paying their rent.
King is accused of inappropriately touching the women after they got there and told one woman she needed a “sugar daddy” to take care of her if she would only “give him a little,” according to a probable cause affidavit filed Friday in Whitley Superior Court.
One woman was seven months’ pregnant when she went to see King on June 10, 2011. During the meeting, King asked to hug the woman and during the hug, he inappropriately touched her, court documents said. The woman told police later that day and received assistance from King when he sent a check to her landlord, court records said.
Another woman told police that she went to King’s office May 8, 2012, to request financial assistance. King told the woman she needed a “sugar daddy” who would take care of her if she would just “give him a little,” court papers said.
King also made comments about the woman’s breasts and asked to give her a hug, court records said. The woman told police King inappropriately touched her when hugging her. She also received assistance when King sent a check to her landlord, court papers said.
A third woman was in King’s home last month. He pulled her to his lap, kissed and fondled her, court papers said.
The woman told police she then began talking about her husband and King’s wife hoping to stop what she considered inappropriate contact by King. The woman got rental assistance from King when he sent a check to her landlord. She reported the episode to police the same day, court papers said.
King, 74, was arrested Monday on three felony counts of official misconduct and three misdemeanor counts of battery.
The Republican uses his home at 4300 block of South Whitley Road as an office for township business.
King oversees the 2012 budget of $426,996 for the township, which is in the southwest corner of Whitley County, according to the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance.
There is $24,400 set aside this year for township assistance, according to the budget.
King posted $40,500 bail and was released from the Whitley County Jail on Monday afternoon.
During an interview with The Journal Gazette on Monday, he denied touching the women and said he doesn’t plan to resign.
In 1998, King defeated Democrat Larry Lancaster by 90 votes and no one has challenged him since.
State law requires King be removed from office if he is convicted of a felony.
