Lance Phillips gets seven years probation for assault

TYLER – Lance Phillips, son of Smith County Clerk Karen Phillips and former Smith County Commissioner Terry Phillips, was sentenced to seven years probation on Wednesday for assaulting a peace officer, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

In May, Lance was found guilty of assaulting a police officer during an incident at a 2023 Smith County commissioner’s court meeting. After he was found guilty, Lance told KETK that he planned to appeal the verdict in this case.

“If I lose, 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 in May. “There will be tons of case law that has Lance Phillips vs. Neal Franklin of Smith County. The result will help 35 million Texans who may want to speak in a public meeting.”

The May 2023 Smith County commissioner’s court meeting was considering items like a resolution marking April 2024 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and a Smith County Jail operations report. During the meeting, Lance and Smith County Judge Neal Franklin got into a verbal exchange which ended with Lance being removed by courtroom officers.

Lance was then arrested for multiple charges, including assaulting a peace officer, on April 2, 2024. His seven years of probation started on Wednesday. Lance will also have to pay $10,000 in fees and must complete 240 hours of community service as a part of his sentence.