Gregg County JP’s Wife Faces Arraignment on Assault Charge

LONGVIEW — A Longview woman accused in the early March shooting of her husband, Gregg County Justice of the Peace Sam Lawson, faces arraignment Friday in 188th District Court. That’s after Ina Lawson was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, the JP’s wife was arrested after police said she shot her husband in the back as he tried to flee through the kitchen to the laundry room. He was taken to Good Shepherd Medical Center, where he remained for weeks.

The suspect was released from jail two days after her arrest after posting $100,000 bond. Her daughter, Debbie Drayden, had argued she should be placed in a mental facility. The 70-year-old had no criminal history in Gregg County, according to judicial records. Police said Lawson called 911 after she shot her husband, saying she shot the judge “because they were fighting.” A criminal complaint filed by Longview police accuses Lawson of shooting her husband a second time as he lay on the floor with injuries from the first shot. The bullet went through his hand and entered his jaw.