ROGERS, Ark. (AP) — An Arkansas congressman’s son with a history of drug arrests and convictions remained jailed Thursday after his arrest on a methamphetamine possession charge, officials said.
Police accompanied a probation officer to James Womack’s home in Rogers for a Wednesday home visit, according to an arrest affidavit. They found the 34-year-old son of Republican Rep. Steve Womack sitting on a zipper-style eyeglass case.
When the case was opened, inside were found several syringes, a small glass vile containing what tested positive for meth and an empty plastic bag containing a residue that tested positive for meth, the affidavit stated.
He remained in the Benton County Jail with bond set at $20,000 Thursday. It was not immediately known if he had an attorney to speak on his behalf.
Womack has been in and out of trouble with the law since the early 1990s.
More recently, in April 2019, Womack began serving what was a nine-year prison term after pleading guilty to five felony charges for drugs and guns. In May 2020, the Arkansas Department of Correction placed him on a list of inmates being considered for early release because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Previously, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2010 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance. But he was diverted to a state prison system boot camp with the promise that his criminal record would be expunged if he successfully completed the program.
He was arrested in April 2012 on a parole violation, however.
“This young man, like a lot of people, has struggled with drug addiction on and off for years,” said his attorney, Shane Wilkinson. “He has an addiction that has affected him, his family, and other people that love him. His family has struggled with his addiction for years, and this is no exception.”
