The Daily Populous Saturday January 17th, 2026 evening edition
Authored by arkansasonline.com and submitted by The-Keystone-Hoya

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President Donald Trump has commuted the federal sentence of the son of U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark.

James Phillip Womack was sentenced in federal court in May 2024 to eight years in prison for distributing more than 5 grams of methamphetamine.

The decision, dated Thursday, commutes the remainder of his prison sentence while leaving intact the five years of supervised release he was also given.

In a statement Friday, Steve Womack, of Rogers, thanked Trump for “this gracious and thoughtful action.”

“The commutation has allowed my son to be with his family during a profoundly difficult time,” the congressman said.

Steve Womack in November missed the first vote of his congressional career, saying he was “dealing with a family member’s serious medical issue that requires my presence at home.”

Phillip Womack has been convicted on drug related charges multiple times.

In the federal case for which he received the commutation, he was indicted April 26, 2023, on one count of distributing more than 5 grams of meth and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, an Aero Precision Model M5 rifle.

He was arrested on May 11, 2023. On Oct. 2, 2023, he pleaded guilty to the drug charge under an agreement with prosecutors. The gun charge was later dismissed.

According to his plea agreement, in December of 2022, a confidential source told the Drug Enforcement Administration and Benton County Drug Unit the source could buy four “8-balls” of methamphetamine from Phillip Womack at a business in Rogers, according to court documents.

Agents provided the source with $300 to buy the drugs and surveilled the person while they went to a store to meet Phillip Womack.

After the purchase was made, the source and Womack were seen exiting the business separately.

The Drug Enforcement Administration determined the purchased methamphetamine to weigh 12.3 grams with a 98% purity, the agreement says.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks on May 24, 2024 sentenced Phillip Womack to eight years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.

Steve Womack has spoken about his son’s criminal troubles in the past.

“Like so many families across this nation, our family has been dealing with a loved one’s addiction,” the congressman said in a news release after his son’s arrest on drug and gun charges in a separate case in September 2018.

“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.”

BarCompetitive7220 on January 17th, 2026 at 11:04 UTC »

War on Drugs continues - unless of course the convict has GOP ties - in this case "daddy" in Congress

Cucrabubamba on January 17th, 2026 at 09:28 UTC »

"Phillip Womack has been convicted on drug related charges multiple times.

In the federal case for which he received the commutation, he was indicted April 26, 2023, on one count of distributing more than 5 grams of meth and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, an Aero Precision Model M5 rifle."

So not only has this happened multiple times, but in this latest count, he, obviously as a felon, had a rifle on him.

thardingesq on January 17th, 2026 at 09:12 UTC »

Really strong on drug dealers