BENTONVILLE -- The son of an Arkansas congressman was sentenced to nine years in prison last week after pleading guilty to drugs and firearm-related charges.
James Phillip Womack, 31, was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of a counterfeit substance with purpose to deliver, two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of firearms by certain persons. Womack resolved his case through a plea agreement Shane Wilkinson, his attorney, reached with David James, deputy prosecutor.
Womack is the son of U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, a Republican.
Police arrested James Womack in September. A warrant was issued for his arrest for absconding while on parole, according to court documents. He was arrested at Woodsprings Suite, 1201 Phyllis St. in Bentonville, according to court documents.
Benton County Circuit Judge Brad Karren accepted the plea agreement and Womack's guilty plea.
Womack was sentenced April 10 to nine years in the custody of the Department of Correction. He must abide by a suspended sentence agreement for 15 years after his release from prison.
He received 109 days credit for the time he's spent in the Benton County jail awaiting his trial.
Womack must pay $1,420 in court associated costs.
"Phillip is just a young man that has an addiction," Wilkinson said. "His family has been coping with it for years like thousands of other families. They [his family] love him and they have a lot of hope for his future and that he is going to turn his life around."
Womack pleaded guilty in November 2010 to conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance, a felony. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison with a boot camp recommendation, a 105-day program. He also was arrested for violating parole in November 2011 and April 2012, according to previous reports.
"Like so many families across this nation, our family has been dealing with a loved one's addiction," Steve Womack said in a news release after his son's September arrest. "The most recent arrest of our son adds to that pain. We love him unconditionally; however, as an adult, he is accountable for the choices he's made. We honor and respect the criminal justice system that will decide his fate. I truly regret that he has put himself and his family in this difficult situation."
Metro on 04/18/2019