Smith County Constable Guilty of Federal Tax Violations

TYLER – Precinct One Smith County Constable Henry Phillip Jackson, 65, has pleaded guilty to federal tax violations. Jackson pleaded guilty Tuesday to four counts of willful failure to file federal income tax returns before U.S. Magistrate Judge K. Nicole Mitchell. According to federal prosecutors, Jackson, who has served as an elected constable since 1999, received income from 2010-2013 that required him to file federal income tax returns for those years. However, Jackson failed to file those returns and now owes more than $160,000 in taxes.

Under federal law, Jackson faces up to one year in federal prison for each count. While that is the maximum, the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

In April of last year, Jackson was shot by his wife. Jackson and his 5-year-old granddaughter were injured. It was said the shooting was prompted by his wife’s belief that he was having an affair. According to an arrest affidavit, Meraland Taylor Jackson, 66, told officers she shot her husband because she believed he had been having an affair with a co-worker. She was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon family violence. Jackson was shot in the chest and the girl in the ankle. The couple’s granddaughter was treated and released. Meraland Jackson told investigators her granddaughter was hit accidentally.