Gosey, Richards Sentenced for 2023 Shooting of Newton Police Chief

L.C. Gosey Jr. (left) and Betty Jean Richards (right) were sentenced Friday, October 17, 2025, for their roles in the 2023 shooting of Newton Police Chief Will Jackson.

NEWTON, Texas — Two defendants have been sentenced to prison for their roles in the 2023 shooting of Newton Police Chief Will Jackson, who was struck by gunfire while assisting with an eviction notice south of Newton.

On Friday, October 17, 2025, Visiting Judge Mark Morefield of Liberty County, presiding in Newton County, sentenced L.C. Gosey Jr., of Call, to 15 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice with no fine. Betty Jean Richards received 10 years in prison, also with no fine.

A Newton County jury returned guilty verdicts on Thursday, October 16, 2025. Richards was convicted on three counts of aggravated assault on a public servant, and Gosey was convicted on one count of the same charge. Richards was represented by Beaumont attorney Audwin Samuel.

Incident Background

According to court testimony and law-enforcement reports, the shooting occurred on January 14, 2023, at a residence in the 3100 block of FM 1004. Officers with multiple agencies, including the Newton Police Department and the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, were serving an eviction notice at the property when gunfire erupted.

One round struck Chief Jackson, penetrating his ballistic vest and causing a minor injury to his back. He was treated at CHRISTUS St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont and returned to duty within days.

At the time of the incident, Colton Havard, then serving as Newton County Precinct 1 Constable, said the vest likely saved the chief’s life.

“If that bullet had been another quarter of an inch over, it could have hit his heart or lungs,” Havard said after the shooting.

The shooting prompted a multi-agency response involving deputies from Newton, Jasper, and Orange counties, officers from Kirbyville Police Department, and a Texas Parks and Wildlife game warden.

Both suspects were taken into custody following the incident and later indicted by a Newton County grand jury.

Sentencing

Judge Morefield imposed the sentences Friday afternoon in the Newton County Courthouse. Neither defendant was assessed a fine. Both Gosey and Richards were remanded to state custody to begin serving their prison terms.

Friday’s sentencing concludes nearly three years of legal proceedings stemming from the January 2023 shooting that left Chief Jackson wounded but alive.