Son of Smith County Clerk found guilty of assaulting peace officer
TYLER, Texas (KETK) – Lance Phillips, the son of Smith County Clerk Karen Phillips and former Smith County Commissioner Terry Phillips, has been found guilty of assaulting a peace officer.
Son of elected Smith County officials arrested for assault of public servant
Lance was found guilty by a jury verdict in the 7th District Court in front of Judge Kerry L. Russell at around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Lance told KETK that he plans to appeal this verdict.
'If I lose and then I will immediately file my appeal to the higher court and go as high as necessary to get the rule of law to be enforced,' Lance told KETK after he testified on Thursday. 'And there will tons of case law that has Lance Phillips vs Neal Franklin of Smith County. And the result will help 35 million Texans who may want to speak in a public meeting.'
Lance's guilty verdict comes after he was arrested for multiple charges on April 2, 2024 for an incident during a Smith County commissioner's court meeting.
The May 2023 meeting was considering items like a resolution marking April 2024 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and a Smith County Jail operations report when Lance got into a verbal exchange with Smith County Judge Neal Franklin. Phillips was then removed from the court by courtroom officers.
A sentencing hearing for Lance's case has been scheduled for 9 a.m. on July 23.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mobile police identify person killed in I-10 crash
Editor's note: A previous version of this article included incorrect information about the victim. News 5 has corrected the information. MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Mobile Police Department officers have identified the person killed Wednesday in a crash on I-10 near Tillmans Corner. Arrested Mobile County teacher asks for trip to Bahamas Officials said 33-year-old Taylor Goff was killed when the vehicle they were driving left the interstate and hit a tree. Goff was pronounced dead on the scene. Officers responded to the area of I-10 and Highway 90 just after 7:30 a.m. on June 19. Mobile Animal Services ordered to return 30 dogs removed from Trinity Gardens home A second vehicle was involved in the crash; its driver was not injured, according to police. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Vance: Trump ‘may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment'
Vice President Vance weighed in Tuesday as the Trump administration debates its next steps in the conflict between Israel and Iran. In a lengthy post on the social platform X, Vance laid out the administration's issues with Iran enriching uranium and argued the president has shown 'remarkable restraint' thus far. 'He may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment. That decision ultimately belongs to the president,' the vice president wrote. 'And of course, people are right to be worried about foreign entanglement after the last 25 years of idiotic foreign policy. 'But I believe the president has earned some trust on this issue,' Vance continued. 'And having seen this up close and personal, I can assure you that he is only interested in using the American military to accomplish American people's goals.' He said Trump had in recent months 'encouraged his foreign policy team to reach a deal with the Iranians' to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Vance also argued Iran had enriched uranium 'far above the level necessary for any civilian purpose.' The post marked Vance's most extensive comments at a precarious moment in the conflict in the Middle East. The vice president was one of several top officials expected to meet with Trump in the Situation Room on Tuesday. Trump departed the Group of Seven meeting in Canada late Monday, one day earlier than expected, because he wanted to be back in Washington as Israel and Iran traded missile strikes. The president said during the flight back to Washington he was looking for 'an end, a real end, not a ceasefire, a real end.' He later described what he was seeking as a 'complete give-up' by Iran. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ruidoso looks back on the impact of the South Fork and Salt Fires
RUIDOSO, N.M. (KRQE) – One year ago, fear and panic struck Ruidoso as a wildfire exploded. The entire village packed up what they could and left, with many coming back to nothing. The South Fork and Salt Fires left two dead, thousands of homes destroyed, and a long road to recovery. Story continues below Wildfire: House sitter becomes unexpected hero, saving four protected raptors during Trout Fire Trending: New restaurant in Old Town takes over space left by beloved eatery Crime: Man sentenced for stealing copper in downtown Albuquerque News: Feds charge man for buying fireworks in NM, claiming he was going to use them against police in LA Business owner Jackie Hunter feared the worst. 'We were evacuated for a week and a half. Didn't know what was going on with the fires. Didn't even know if we still had a building left,' said Hunter. On June 17, 2024, flames spread through the village quickly. The South Fork and Salt Fires burned more than 25,000 acres and 1,400 structures, many of them homes. After that came burn scar flooding. Hunter, owner of A Quilting Stituation' in Alto, said business has been slow the past year. But it's given her the opportunity to be there for the community in a new way. 'We got to hear a lot of stories of a lot of people coming here of people who lost their homes from either the fire or the flood…it just breaks your heart.' The Village of Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford remembered the heartache. 'So that was a big day, a lot of devastation,' said Mayor Crawford. But when the worst of it passed, he pushed forward. 'But it was setting up those avenues of how do we help people get back to normal or whatever that new normal was going to look like?' said Mayor Crawford. Another loss came when tourism took a hit during the height of the summer season. 'That's where most of the businesses make the majority of their money annually,' said Mayor Crawford. He's reminding people that the popular tourist town is open for business. 'We've been doing a lot of marketing and advertising for the community to say 'hey, we're open, come back and see us. Tourism is our industry,' said Mayor Crawford. A lot of work has been done from de-silting the river, cleaning out and replacing culverts, removing debris, deepening the river and runoff channels, but the work isn't over. 'Whenever you have a tragedy like this you see neighbors coming together you see people helping out one another,' said Hunter. While the village has rebuilt, there is still the fear of something like the South Fork and Salt Fires happening again. 'You see smoke, and a chill fear goes through you,' said Hunter. Tuesday night, the Village of Ruidoso held an event designed to honor those impacted by the fires. Mayor Crawford recognized the courageous first responders and celebrated the community's continued resilience. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
