Smith County District Clerk held in contempt again

TYLER – Our news partners at KETK report that Smith County District Clerk Penny Clarkston was arrested again on Monday for yelling at jurors and physically blocking exit doors during a court proceeding, court documents state.According to a document filed by Judge Austin Reeve Jackson, the court told potential jurors they were free to go when Clarkston started yelling that they couldn’t leave without her permission. As district clerk, Clarkston issues writs, abstracts of judgement and prepares warrants. According to the Smith County website, she also serves as the administrator of the county’s jury system. The document stated that on Monday, the court ordered Clarkston multiple times to stop talking to the jurors and to let them leave but she refused. Clarkston would then ignore several of the court’s orders and proceeded to say “you can’t tell me to do anything,” the documents said.

The order of contempt documents said that on Sept. 16 Clarkston also refused to release a panel after being told by several judges that no jury was needed.

“As the panel made their way to the exit, Mrs. Clarkston ran into the courtroom waiving her arms and began shrieking at the jurors that they could not leave and would have to remain seated in the room until she alone dismissed them,” the documents said.

Due Clarkston’s behavior on Sept. 16 and on Monday, the document said she is ordered to serve 10 consecutive days in the Smith County Jail for contempt of court.

“By law, Mrs. Clarkston is entitled to an immediate personal recognizance bond,” the documents said.

This is the second time this year that Clarkston has been arrested for contempt. On July 25, Clarkston was arrested for not handing over information related to a high profile case.

The documents from that arrest allege that Clarkston was given several chances to hand over information to the district court pertaining to the William Davis capital murder case. Clarkston was processed in the Smith County Jail, taken to the Gregg County Jail and released the same day.