TYLER, Texas — Editor's Note: The above video aired on Aug. 30, 2024.
Lance Phillips, the son of two Smith County elected officials, will have a trial in February for accusations of assaulting an officer during an April 2 commissioners court meeting.
Phillips, 41, of Tyler, was charged with assault of a peace officer or judge when he was held in contempt of court and removed from the April 2 meeting.
On Wednesday, his trial was reset to Feb. 4, 2025, after the visiting judge approved Phillips' request to delay. Jury selection will be held Feb. 4 and the trial will be held the following day.
Last week, he was also indicted on an obstruction or retaliation charge. He was charged with that offense in August.
According to the Oct. 3 indictment, Phillips committed slander, libel and disorderly conduct against Smith County Judge Neal Franklin in retaliation of Franklin serving as a witness in Phillips' court proceedings.
He was previously convicted and currently serving a one-year county jail sentence for hindering court proceedings by disorderly conduct following an August trial. He was also ordered to pay a $4,000 fine. The conviction stems from him interrupting a Smith County Commissioners Court meeting in January after going off-topic.
Franklin was a witness in Phillips' hindering court proceedings trial.
He is the son of Smith County Clerk Karen Phillips and Smith County Pct. 3 Commissioner Terry Phillips. On Aug. 26, Karen Phillips was given one year of probation for interfering in the arrest of her other son Derek Phillips' arrest in March 2023.
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